Department for Transport

Department of Transport: Working Hours

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many officials of his Department have opted out of the EU Working Time Directive.

Mr John Hayes: The Department does not hold this information centrally. Opting out of the working time directive is approved on discretion of the authorising line manager.

London Airports: Business

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on business of airport expansion in the South East.

Mr John Hayes: Expansion at Heathrow will enable businesses to take advantage of new destinations, extra seats and more frequent services.It is expected that in 2040 alone, businesses from all over the UK will make an extra 6 million trips through an expanded Heathrow. Making use of this greater international connectivity would help boost trade and productivity, and the UK economy. Not only will greater connectivity enable business travel, the significant increase in flights, especially to long haul destinations, represents a big increase in the capacity available to the air freight industry, helping to lower costs and increase trade. An additional runway at Heathrow will also deliver a significant boost in local employment and opportunities for businesses. Analysis suggests that an additional runway at Heathrow would deliver up to 77,000 local jobs by 2030. Expansion is also expected to benefit businesses located around the expanded airport, further boosting productivity.

Severn River Crossing: Public Consultation

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2016 to Question 45450, on the Severn River Crossing, what the timetable is for the launch of the consultation.

Mr John Hayes: The Department is aiming to launch its consultation in late Autumn 2016. A specific date is still to be confirmed.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Communities and Local Government: Iron and Steel

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent estimate he has made of the level of procurement of British steel by his Department in the last 12 months.

Mr Marcus Jones: The information is not centrally held in the form requested. Over the last year Government has acted to level the playing field for UK steel producers in light of the complex global challenges faced by the UK steel sector. Last December Government issued guidance to central government departments on how to ensure that they take full account of the value provided by UK steel producers when conducting their procurement activities. This guidance is also being extended to the wider public sector.

War Graves: Repairs and Maintenance

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement of 18 December 2014, HCWS154, what progress has been made on the grave restoration campaign to restore the graves of First World War recipients who are buried in the UK but not under the care of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's restoration project, including the numbers and locations of the graves in question.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Home Ownership Incentive Schemes

James Cartlidge: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 13 October 2016 to Question 46626, on home ownership incentive schemes, what the value was of the equity loans included in the £4,090,595,000 figure given in that Answer.

Gavin Barwell: The value of outstanding equity loans at 31 March 2016 is £4,090,595,000.   The original investment made by government in these outstanding equity loans was £3,949,289,000.   Further information is set out in the Homes and Communities Agency Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015-16 (Note 21) with further information about ‘fair value’ in Notes 1 and 31.

Home Ownership Incentive Schemes

James Cartlidge: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 13 October 2016 to Question 46626, on home ownership incentive schemes, if he will estimate the amount of accumulated interest and other costs due to the Government included within the £4,090,595,000 figure given in that Answer.

Gavin Barwell: The amount of accumulated interest and other costs due to the government included within the £4,090,595,000 figure is £nil, as interest and fees are paid as they fall due.Further information on interest and fees is set out in the Help to Buy Equity Loan Buyers Guide at https://www.helptobuy.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/Help-to-Buy-Buyers-Guide-Feb-160216.pdf

Communities and Local Government: Working Hours

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many officials of his Department have opted out of the EU Working Time Directive.

Mr Marcus Jones: We are not aware of any staff opting out of the EU Working Time Directive.Individuals can opt out of the EU Working Time Directive by putting a request in writing to the Department's HR Service Centre. Responses are placed on the individual's file and we do not hold a separate central record.

Local Plans: Birmingham

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, for what reasons his Department has called in the Birmingham local plan for review.

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when he expects to approve the Birmingham local plan.

Gavin Barwell: A decision will be made as soon as possible.

Public Houses: Planning Permission

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will amend the Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) Order 1987 and the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2016 to remove public houses from the A4 Use Class and place them in a class of their own.

Gavin Barwell: Public houses are already in their own use class alongside wine-bars and other drinking establishments, and no changes are planned.

Regional Planning and Development: North of England

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many civil servants of his Department at each grade are allocated to work on the Northern Powerhouse.

Andrew Percy: The Northern Powerhouse is a cross-governmental project supported by officials in all relevant departments, including DfT, HMT, DCMS, Defra, DCLG, and BEIS. The Cities and Local Growth Unit is a joint BEIS-DCLG team that supports local growth policy, including the Northern Powerhouse. It currently has almost 150 staff based in offices all across the country, including in London, Manchester, Gateshead and Leeds. This includes 1 Director, 9 Deputy-Directors, 8 Grade 6s, 61 Grade 7s, 11 Senior Executive Officers, 35 Higher Executive Officers, 15 Executive and Administrative Officers and 9 Fast Steamers.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Trade Marks: EU Law

Alex Chalk: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make it his policy to ensure that the UK intellectual property practitioners will continue to have the right to file European Trade Mark and design applications and appear on behalf of clients at the EU Intellectual Property Office after the UK leaves the EU.

Joseph Johnson: We have sought UK intellectual property practitioners’ views on the effects of the UK's withdrawal from the European Union and we are aware that this is a concern to them. We are continuing to engage with practitioners and businesses and are actively considering the options available.

Animal Experiments

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that medical research involving the use of animals is only being undertaken where there is no alternative.

Joseph Johnson: The Government considers that the carefully regulated use of animals in scientific research remains a vital tool in improving the understanding of how biological systems work both in health and disease, and in the development of safe new medicines, treatments and technologies. At the same time, the Government believes that animals should only be used when there is no viable alternative. The Government actively supports and funds the development and dissemination of techniques that replace, reduce and refine the use of animals in research (the 3Rs), and supports ongoing UK-led efforts to encourage greater global uptake of non-animal alternatives.

Research: Finance

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government has made an assessment of future levels of research funding in the UK after the UK leaves the EU and existing projects have been completed.

Joseph Johnson: The UK will maintain its status as a global centre for research and innovation. In last year’s Spending Review the Government committed to protecting science resource funding in real terms from its 2015-16 level of £4.7 billion a year for the rest of the parliament, as well as committing to invest in new scientific infrastructure on a record scale – £6.9 billion over the period 2015-2021.While the UK remains a member of the EU, funding and collaboration arrangements continue unchanged. Researchers can continue to bid for competitive EU research funding such as Horizon 2020 while we remain a member of the EU. The Government will work with the Commission to ensure payment when funds are awarded. The Treasury will underwrite the payment of such awards, even when specific projects continue beyond the UK’s departure from the EU. Access to apply to Horizon 2020 and subsequent funding programmes after we leave the EU will be a matter for the negotiations that will follow the triggering of Article 50.

Electricity Generation

James Heappey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the relative efficiency of combined cycle gas turbines and reciprocating gas and diesel engines.

Jesse Norman: The Department last published estimates of the efficiency of different technologies in 2013 [1]. As the design of many of these technologies is rapidly changing, we expect to publish an update of the evidence in due course.[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/energy-generation-cost-projections

Electricity Generation

James Heappey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what analysis his Department has made of the effect of reciprocating gas and diesel generation on (a) the likely Third T4 auction price and (b) the likelihood of securing new combined cycle gas turbine generation capacity.

James Heappey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate his Department has made of the (a) number of gas or diesel reciprocating engines and (b) generating capacity likely to qualify in the T4 Capacity Market auction.

Jesse Norman: The prequalification results for the 2016 four-year ahead Capacity Market auction have been published on the Electricity Market Reform Delivery Body’s website[1]. Around a quarter of the pre-qualified capacity is new-build, and nearly half of this is from combined cycle gas turbines (CCGTs). Approximately 6.1GW of reciprocating engines (existing and new) have also prequalified. The competitive nature of the auction means it is difficult to predict accurately the specific technologies and projects that will win agreements. CCGTs and gas reciprocating engines differ with respect to their cost and revenue profiles, with both technologies able to play a valuable role in the electricity market – CCGTs are highly efficient at providing baseload generation, whereas gas reciprocating engines are highly flexible and useful for helping balance the electricity system. Both will also compete against new interconnection, storage and demand-side response bids. My department has been working – as have Ofgem and Defra – to address potential distortions in the wider market and so ensure all projects compete on a level playing field.A mix of new build technologies, in addition to existing capacity, could win, with competition bearing down on the auction cost to deliver value for money for the consumer.  [1] https://www.emrdeliverybody.com/CM/prequalification.aspx

Offshore Industry: North Sea

Dr Paul Monaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on support for the North Sea oil and gas sector.

Jesse Norman: This Government has continuously engaged with this important sector and recognise the challenges it faces. Last week colleagues from HM Treasury and I met with representatives of the industry where we discussed the actions we are taking to maximise economic recovery of the UK Continental Shelf.In the last two Budgets, the Government has provided a £2.3bn package of support to make sure the North Sea continues to attract investment, promote exploration and safeguard the future of this vital national asset.

Manufacturing Industries

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how his Department plans to ensure that the interests of manufacturers are enhanced by the UK leaving the EU.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Government will do whatever is needed to safeguard the economy, forge a global new role for ourselves as we leave the European Union and make Britain a country that truly works for everybody. The Department is in on-going dialogue with businesses and trade organisations to understand concerns and identify opportunities from EU withdrawal for the manufacturing sector right across the UK.Through our Industrial Strategy we will continue to support and grow our successful manufacturing businesses and encourage the development of industries of the future as part of creating an economy that works for all.

Energy: Meters

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the effect of increased volumes of SMETS1 smart meters being installed on customers' ability to switch energy supplier.

Jesse Norman: The roll-out of SMETS1 meters is enabling consumers to take control of their energy use, save money and receive accurate bills, as energy suppliers trial, test and optimise their approaches prior to the main phase of the roll-out. Households and small businesses with SMETS1 meters can still switch energy suppliers. If the new supplier can’t operate the meter in smart mode, the meter will continue accurately to record energy consumption and can be used in ‘traditional’ mode, with meter readings taken manually. Work is underway to make existing SMETS1 meters interoperable with the DCC. Once this work is complete, customers will be able to retain their smart service when they switch energy supplier. Ofgem has introduced rules designed to help domestic consumers understand if the smart services they are receiving will be maintained when they switch supplier[1]. [1] (https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/ofgem-publications/41868/smart-meters-effective-switching.pdf.)

EURATOM

George Kerevan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the implications are for UK membership of the European Atomic Energy Community of the UK's decision to leave the EU.

George Kerevan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether it is his policy that the UK will remain part of the European Community Urgent Radiological Information Exchange after the UK leaves the EU.

Jesse Norman: The Government is assessing the legal and policy implications of the public’s vote to leave the EU. This assessment includes implications for the UK’s membership of the European Atomic Energy Community and participation in the European Community Urgent Radiological Information Exchange.

Energy: Meters

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the effect on the smart meter rollout in the North of Scotland of Arqiva providing signal coverage to 80 per cent of customers in that area.

Jesse Norman: As the Data and Communications Company’s communications service provider for the north region (which includes Scotland), Arqiva is contracted to provide Wide Area Network (WAN) coverage of at least 99.5% of GB premises by the end of 2020. This level of coverage compares favourably with other technologies, such as mobile and broadband networks. Arqiva is on track to deliver its contractual coverage commitments, having already achieved coverage of more than 80% of premises in the north region. Energy suppliers will be made aware of the areas in which WAN is available at any point in time, and can plan their rollout accordingly.

Economic Growth

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment the Government has made of the level of business growth since 2010.

Mr Nick Hurd: This Government is committed to ensuring the UK has a business environment that supports growth. There are now a record 5.5 million businesses in the UK. Since 2010, there have been an additional 1 million businesses in the UK and we have set out a range of measures to help those businesses to thrive including reducing corporation tax and business rates and saving businesses £10 billion of red tape.

Energy: Conservation

Sir Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to encourage more people to make energy-saving home improvements.

Jesse Norman: The Government has made a commitment to insulate 1 million more homes this Parliament, with 276,000 homes insulated already since May 2015 to end July 2016.Our proposals to reform the Energy Company Obligation scheme will increase support for low income and vulnerable households from £310 million to £450 million in 2017, with an intention to increase this to £640m each year from 2018 to 2022.The Government has also introduced regulation for minimum energy efficiency standards for the private rented sector, which will come into force from April 2018, and will help consumers to reduce their energy bills and have warmer, more energy efficient properties.We are also rolling out smart meters, with more than 4.2 million meters now operating across homes and businesses in Great Britain, helping consumers to understand and take control of their energy use.

Housing: Insulation

Sir Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an estimate of the rate of uptake of home insulation improvements in the last five years.

Jesse Norman: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy only holds data on the number of insulation measures installed though central Government Schemes. This includes measures delivered through the Carbon Emission Reduction Target (CERT), Community Energy Saving Programme (CESP), Warm Front, Energy Company Obligation (ECO) and the Green Deal. Between the start of July 2011 to the end of June 2016 through Government schemes, there have been 1.61 million cavity wall insulation installations, 2.7 million lofts insulated, and 267,000 solid wall insulation installations. Delivery since April 2013 is reported in Table 4.3 in the latest Household Energy Efficiency National Statistics Release here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/household-energy-efficiency-national-statistics-headline-release-october-2016Delivery statistics since April 2008 is available in Table 4.3 here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/household-energy-efficiency-national-statistics-detailed-report-2015 Less prevalent insulation measures, such as under floor insulation, delivered under ECO since January 2013, are available In Table 2.1.1 here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/household-energy-efficiency-national-statistics-headline-release-october-2016

Nuclear Power Stations

Sir Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of using thorium rather than plutonium in nuclear power plants.

Jesse Norman: BEIS maintains an interest in the global potential of thorium nuclear fuels.In 2012, DECC published an initial comparative assessment of thorium and uranium technologies in nuclear power electricity generation. This is available online from:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/thorium-and-uranium-fuel-cycles-comparison-by-the-national-nuclear-laboratoryBEIS also draws on the expertise of its national laboratories to model nuclear scenarios that include the use of thorium. These are used to inform research and development needs on future nuclear fuel cycles. An overview of these are included in the document “Nuclear Energy Research and Development Roadmap: Future Pathways”, which is available from: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nuclear-energy-research-and-development-roadmap-future-pathwaysPlutonium plays a different functional role in the design of proposed nuclear fuels than thorium does and would only be used in conjunction with thorium, rather than in place of it. For this reason, BEIS has undertaken no assessment of replacing plutonium with thorium.

Minimum Wage

Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if his Department will amend the definition available in his Department's guidance on calculating the minimum wage, published in October 2016, so that it does not include any periods when a worker is asleep.

Margot James: There are no plans to amend the guidance in the calculating the minimum wage document in relation to the national minimum wage and sleeping time.

Wind Power

Sir Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of high-altitude kites as a source of wind energy.

Joseph Johnson: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Carbon Dioxide

Sir Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to reduce CO2 emissions by at least 80 per cent from 1990 levels by 2050.

Mr Nick Hurd: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Living Wage

Mike Wood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will publish guidance to clarify whether overnight sleep-in shifts are exempt from the national living wage rate; and if he will make a statement.

Margot James: The Government has published guidance to help employers meet national minimum wage legislation. The calculating the minimum wage document sets out on page 29 the guidance relating to National Minimum Wage (NMW) and National Living Wage (NLW) and sleeping time.

ACAS: Liverpool

Mrs Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the effect of the proposed closure of ACAS's Liverpool office on access to justice; and if he will make a statement.

Margot James: Acas assesses that there will be no impact on access to justice arising from the closure of the Liverpool Office. Acas is committed to maintaining the service it provides to users of its services in Merseyside. Most customer contact is by telephone and is unaffected. Acas will continue to offer face-to-face meetings in Merseyside as required.

Business

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to maximise the potential benefits of the UK leaving the EU for businesses.

Jesse Norman: The UK remains the top destination in Europe for Foreign Direct Investment, unemployment is at its lowest level since 2005. It has a record number of private businesses, and we are going to build on these fundamental strengths to make a Britain that works for everyone; that remains the same outward-looking, globally-minded, big-thinking country it has always been.

Industry

Chris White: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government has taken to set out its industrial strategy; and if he will make a statement.

Greg Clark: We are developing an Industrial Strategy that will embrace the opportunities of our new global role and upgrade our economy so it works for everyone. We intend to work with the breadth of British industry, local leaders, innovators, employees and consumers to deliver a successful strategy and create the conditions for future success. We will seek views on our plans in a discussion paper in the coming weeks.

Self-employed

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the (a) job security and (b) employment rights of on-demand workers.

Margot James: The Independent Review on Employment Practices in the Modern Economy, led by Matthew Taylor will consider issues such as job security, pay and rights. It will also consider whether definitions of employment status need to be updated to reflect new models, such as on-demand platforms.

Offshore Industry: North Sea

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on support for the North Sea oil and gas sector.

Jesse Norman: This Government has continuously engaged with this important sector and recognise the challenges it faces. Last week my Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), myself and Ministerial colleagues in BEIS and HM Treasury met with representatives of the industry where we discussed the actions to take in order to maximise economic recovery of the UK Continental Shelf.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Pakistan: Religious Freedom

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the government of Pakistan on the cases of Abdul Shakoor and Mazhar Sipra.

Alok Sharma: We are aware of Mr Shakoor and Mr Sipra's cases. I remain concerned about reports of abuses against Ahmadiyya and other religious minorities in Pakistan. The Government strongly condemns the persecution of all minorities, including the targeting of innocent people based on their beliefs. Our concerns are reflected in the latest update to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office annual human rights report, which can be found on www.gov.uk/fco.We regularly raise our concerns about the protection of minority communities, including the misuse of the blasphemy laws, with the Pakistani Government at a senior level. In April, the previous Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Philip Hammond), raised the importance of safeguarding the rights of all minorities with Sartaj Aziz, Advisor to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs. We continue to urge Pakistan to honour in practice its human rights obligations, including those related to religious minorities.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Working Hours

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many officials of his Department have opted out of the EU Working Time Directive.

Sir Alan Duncan: We do not centrally hold details of how many officials at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) have opted out of the EU Working Time Directive. To provide you with this would require us to gather information from the personnel file of each staff member and the cost of doing this would be disproportionate and exceed the appropriate limit. Managers in the FCO are however, expected to reorganise and reprioritise work rather than ask staff to sign voluntary opt outs.

Middle East: Conflict, Stability and Security Fund

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what proportion of Conflict Stability and Security funding in Israel supports Israel-Palestinian coexistence work.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: ​I refer the Hon. Member to my answer of 27 October 2016 (PQ 49938).

Iraq: Christianity

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to enable Christians to stay in Iraq.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: ​Ultimately, the only way of safeguarding minority communities and enabling Christians to stay in Iraq freely is by defeating Daesh and establishing a lasting peace. The Government is committed to this: we have a comprehensive strategy for defeating Daesh and continue to support the Government of Iraq in its efforts to build a more inclusive society.We are also working with our international partners and the Government of Iraq to ensure that Daesh is held to account for its appalling crimes, including against Christians. At the United Nations General Assembly on 19 September, The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Boris Johnson), alongside Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim Al-Jaafari and the Belgian Foreign Minister, launched a global campaign to hold Daesh to account for its crimes. The campaign has three mutually reinforcing objectives: supporting national and international efforts to ensure Daesh and its followers are brought to justice; empowering survivors of Daesh crimes; and ensuring that where Daesh tries to stoke division, hatred and violence, the pursuit of justice unites all our communities – local, national and international.Through the UK's Conflict, Security and Stability Fund we are also supporting community cohesion, encouraging reconciliation and promoting acceptance and tolerance between communities at a grass roots level. We continue to encourage political and religious leaders in Iraq to speak out publicly and condemn sectarian violence. And we will continue to explore what further support we might be able to provide to vulnerable groups and internally displaced persons.

Iraq: Christianity

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent reports he has received on the treatment of Christians in Iraq.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: ​We remain gravely concerned by the appalling crimes committed by Daesh against all faiths in Iraq, including Christians, Mandeans, Yezidis and others, as well as the majority Muslim population. We are aware of the strength of feeling on this matter in parliament and in the UK.I last discussed human rights issues with Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim Al-Jaafari at the UK-Iraq annual bilateral Joint Commission on 12 October. There is a growing body of evidence that terrible crimes have been committed by Daesh in Iraq. That includes recent unverified UN reports of Daesh crimes against the citizens of Mosul and its surrounds as military operations to free the city and its people are taking place. We welcome the commitments that Prime Minister Abadi has made to inclusivity, to protecting all Iraqi citizens regardless of their faith, to investigate all allegations of human rights abuses and violations and to hold those responsible to account.

Companies: Companies

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, by what date he expects all UK Overseas Territories to have adopted central registers of beneficial ownership accessible to UK Law enforcement.

Sir Alan Duncan: Those Overseas Territories with financial centres that concluded bilateral arrangements with the UK in April 2016 have committed to establish, where they have not already done so, central registers of beneficial ownership information or similarly effective systems by June 2017.

Companies: Companies

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with leaders of UK Overseas Territories on publicly accessible central registers of beneficial ownership since his appointment.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Minister of State for the Commonwealth and the UN, my noble Friend, Baroness Anelay of St Johns, and the Solicitor General, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Member for South Swindon discussed the implementation of the bilateral arrangements on beneficial ownership with leaders of the OTs at the Joint Ministerial Council on 2 November.

Israel: Palestinians

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the contribution that monitoring settlement expansion in the West Bank makes to the prospects for (a) coexistence of Israelis and Palestinians and (b) the creation of a viable and independent Palestinian state alongside Israel.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: ​The Government has funded a number of projects to monitor and report on settlement expansion in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, and to protect vulnerable Palestinian communities from the effects of settlement expansion. Accurate data on settlement expansion is vital in tracking negative developments and enabling us to express our very strong concerns publicly to the Israeli government. The UK’s position on settlements is clear: they are illegal under international law, present an obstacle to peace and take us further away from a two-state solution. We will continue to raise our objections to settlements with the Israeli government. The increased pace of settlement advancement, including moves to approve retroactively unauthorised settlement units and outposts, fundamentally calls into question Israel’s commitment to the two-state solution.

Palestinians: Politics and Government

John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the Palestinian Authority on its commitments to the Quartet Principles.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: I have not specifically discussed the Quartet Principles as a whole with the Palestinian Authority (PA) recently. On the three issues in the principles:- On recognition of Israel: the Palestinian Liberation Organisation recognised Israel some years ago and successive PA governments have been bound by this.- On renunciation of violence: the Palestinian leadership renounced violence some time ago as a means of achieving their goals. We consider that the overall track record of President Abbas and the PA shows their genuine commitment to non-violence and a negotiated two-state solution. We raise instances of incitement with both the PA and continue to urge the PA leadership to do all they can to reduce tensions with Israel.- On adherence to previous diplomatic agreements: we continue to discuss how progress can be made towards peace with both the Israeli and Palestinian leaderships.

Israel: Palestinians

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the contribution that Israelis working alongside Palestinians make to promoting equality and respect for human rights for both peoples.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: ​The UK Government supports equality and human rights for all peoples and we therefore welcome any initiative that promotes these principles. Israelis and Palestinians working together can only help break down divisions in a region suffering from the longstanding tragedy of conflict.

Palestinians: Human Rights

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many meetings there have been in the last 12 months between human rights organisations operating in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and (a) the British Consulate-General in Jerusalem and (b) the British Embassy in Tel Aviv.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We are unable to provide the specific information requested without incurring disproportionate cost.

Israel: Palestinians

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the implications of the ongoing glorification sanctioned by the Palestinian Authority of people who have killed Israelis for the viability of a lasting two-state solution.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: While we have not made any assessment on this specific issue, we regularly urge the Palestinian and Israeli leaderships to refrain from or prevent any actions that could threaten the viability of a two-state solution, including violence, incitement and settlement expansion. We continue to support the reinstatement of the Tripartite Committee on Incitement as the appropriate channel to deal with allegations of incitement from either side, and continue to press the Palestinian Authority (PA) regularly on the importance of their swift condemnation of violent attacks.

Palestinians: Medical Treatments

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 28 October 2016 to Question 50165, if he will raise with the Israeli government the issue of access to essential medical treatment for people living in Palestinian territories.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Access to essential medical treatment is an important issue, and our officials at the British Embassy in Tel Aviv will seek appropriate opportunities to raise this.

Honduras: Human Rights

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the government of Honduras on human rights activists and the right to peaceful protest in that country.

Sir Alan Duncan: The British Government continues to call on the Honduran Government to uphold all human rights, including the right to peaceful protest. I raised the importance of human rights with the President of Honduras' Congress during his visit to London in September. Our Ambassador to Honduras (based in Guatemala City) also discusses human rights issues with the Honduran authorities during her frequent visits to the country.We encourage all governments to create a safe and enabling environment for all civil society. Whilst we recognise that some progress has been made by the Honduran Government, recent high profile cases, including that of Berta Cáceres, have shown that more still needs to be done.

Wales Office

Investment: Israel

Craig Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what assessment he has made of potential new investment opportunities between Wales and Israel since the Israeli business delegation visit to Wales in 2015.

Alun Cairns: Inward investment continues to thrive in Wales. 2015/16 was the second best year on record for inward investment, with 97 new projects in Wales. These inward investment projects were from companies based in 23 countries around the world.UK Government recognises the significant value to the Welsh economy from these investments - at least £660m - creating wider economic benefits, jobs and new business opportunities for Welsh companies through supply chains.Lordan UK Ltd’s £1million investment into Wales is an example of the new investment opportunities that have arisen since the Israeli business delegation visit to Wales in 2015, which has generated further job and business growth.

Department for Education

Education Funding Agency

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many written Financial Notices to Improve the Education Funding Agency has distributed to schools since 1 January 2016.

Edward Timpson: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 21 October 2016.The correct answer should have been:

At the time of writing on 21 October 2016, The the Education Funding Agency has had issued a total of 23 24 Financial Notices to Improve to academy trusts since 1 January 2016.

Edward Timpson: At the time of writing on 21 October 2016, The the Education Funding Agency has had issued a total of 23 24 Financial Notices to Improve to academy trusts since 1 January 2016.

Primary Education: Admissions

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many planning areas in England are in need of additional primary school places by September 2017; how many such areas have (a) never had an application to open a primary or all-through mainstream free school and (b) no open primary or all-through mainstream free schools.

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many planning areas in England are in need of additional secondary school places by September 2017; how many such areas have (a) never had an application to open a secondary or all-through mainstream free school and (b) no open secondary or all-through mainstream free schools.

Edward Timpson: The department collects information from each local authority on the number of available school places and pupil forecasts through the annual school capacity survey (SCAP). The main tables contain local authority level data. The underlying data on school capacity is published at school level and pupil forecasts at planning area level. The latest published data, relating to the position as reported at May 2015, can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-capacity-academic-year-2014-to-2015. The department has also published local authority basic need scorecards for primary schools. The latest published scorecards relate to 2014 capacity and contain departmental estimates of the number of additional primary school places needed to meet demand in September 2016, once existing plans for new places have been factored in. The department does not publish data on the number of additional primary places needed to meet demand at planning area level. The latest published data and details of the methodology used for the estimates can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/primary-school-places-local-authority-basic-need-scorecards-2014. Estimates for the number of additional primary and secondary school places needed to meet demand in 2017/18 will be available when the department publishes the 2015 scorecards, which are currently in preparation. Local authorities will have planned and created many more places since the data was collected. The department also published a transparency note on free school applications and assessing the need for places, in September 2016, which is available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/553257/Mainstream_free_school_applications_assessment_of_need_and_deprivation_wave_11_update.pdf This gives information on how many free schools have been approved in areas where there was a need for additional school places. Across all mainstream free schools approved in waves 5-11 (when a need for places had become one of the assessment criteria), 83% were located in areas where there was a need for additional school places. An additional group of schools were approved on the basis of more up-to-date LA data on future need for places or where section 106 agreements suggested need related to new housing developments. 76% of mainstream free schools opened up to September 2016 have been opened in areas where there was a need for additional school places.

Finance: Education

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make it her policy to expand the teaching of financial education in schools.

Edward Timpson: The new national curriculum, introduced in September 2014, made financial literacy statutory for the first time. It is taught as part of the citizenship curriculum for 11 to 16 year olds. Pupils are taught the functions and uses of money, the importance of personal budgeting, money management and the need to understand financial risk. All schools do have a duty to provide their pupils with a broad and balanced curriculum and financial education can be delivered as part of this. Financial education can also be addressed more broadly as part of extra-curricular activities. Programmes such as the National Citizen Service give young people the chance to plan and potentially fundraise for a social action project. There are currently no plans to review the national curriculum.

Pupils: Carers

Marcus Fysh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of provision within the school system for the needs of students who are young carers.

Edward Timpson: Schools play a very important part in identifying pupils who are young carers and in offering them appropriate support. During school inspection, Ofsted inspectors consider how schools are meeting the needs of their pupils, including young carers. It is for schools to demonstrate to inspectors that they know all of their pupils, including those with caring responsibilities, and have strategies in place to support these pupils and ensure that they are making expected progress. This Department has funded the Carers Trust and The Children’s Society, in partnership with Suffolk Family Carers, to work with local authorities to develop models of assessment and support that specifically address the needs of young carers. We have also trained school nurses to be champions for young carers, to speak up on behalf of young carers and help head teachers and governors decide how best to support them at school.

Asylum: Children in Care

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many unaccompanied asylum-seeking children were being looked after under a (a) section 20 voluntary accommodation arrangement and (b) care order (interim or final) on 31 March 2016.

Edward Timpson: There were 4,210 unaccompanied asylum seeking children looked after at 31 March 2016. 4,170 were looked after under a section 20 voluntary accommodation arrangement, 10 under an interim care order, and 20 under a full care order[1].[1] These figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.

Foster Care

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many foster-for-adoption placements occurred from (a) 25 July 2014 to 31 March 2015, (b) 1 April 2015 to 31 March 2016 and (c) 1 April 2016 to 31 August 2016; and how many of those cases involved placement of more than one child.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, in how many of the foster for adoption placements initiated since 25 July 2014 the children were looked after pursuant to a section 20 Children Act 1989 voluntary accommodation arrangement; how many of those children were subject to (a) care proceedings at the time that the fostering for adoption placement began and (b) a pre-proceedings process during which parents were entitled to legal advice under Regulation 5(1)(e) of the Civil Legal Aid (Financial Resources and Payment for Services) Regulations 2013.

Edward Timpson: The Department collects information on children placed in a fostering for adoption placement or subject to concurrent planning[1]. The number of children placed in a fostering for adoption placement or subject to concurrent planning at 31 March 2015 was 260[2]. Of these children, 50 were looked after under a voluntary agreement under section 20 of the Children Act 1989, a further 140 were looked after under a care order (full or interim), and 60 had a placement order in place. At 31 March 2016, 320 children were placed in a fostering for adoption placement or subject to concurrent planning, of which 60 were looked after under a voluntary agreement under section 20 of the Children Act 1989, 170 were looked after under a care order, and 90 had a placement order. The Department does not collect information on how many were entitled to legal aid, nor does it collect information on whether the placement involved more than one child. Information on placements made during the year is due to be published in December and the data are still undergoing quality assurance checks. Information on fostering for adoption or concurrent planning placements since April 2016 will not be collected until 2017.[1] Concurrent planning is where the local authority is trying to rehabilitate the child with the birth parents, but at the same time, the local authority is planning for adoption in the event that rehabilitation fails.[2] Numbers are rounded to the nearest 10.

Children in Care

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many care leavers in England as of 31 March 2016 were (a) mothers and (b) fathers; how many such care leavers were aged (i) 17, (ii) 18, (iii) 19, (iv) 20 and (v) 21; and how many such care leavers (A) had more than one child and (B) have at least one child who is or has been subject to (1) a child protection inquiry, (2) a child protection plan and (3) an interim or final care order or is voluntary accommodated.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) looked after children and (b) care leavers have had a child placed in foster for adoption under section 22C(9A)-(9C) of the Children Act 1989; and how many of those children were voluntarily accommodated under section 20 of the Children Act 1989 at the time the placement commenced in each of the last 10 years.

Edward Timpson: Information on care leavers who are parents is not available. The Department collects information on looked after girls aged 12 or over who are mothers, but it is not possible to determine numbers of care leavers who became parents after leaving care. The Department does not collect information on the children of looked after children or care leavers.

Children in Care

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, of those children who were subject of a special guardianship order as at 31 March 2016 but were not looked after immediately prior to the special guardianship order being made, how many (a) have been on a child protection plan and (b) were looked after at some point in their childhood.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children on special guardianship orders as of 31 March 2016 were looked after immediately prior to the special guardianship order.

Edward Timpson: The Department does not hold information on the total number of children on a special guardianship order as at 31 March 2016. Information is only collected on the number of children who have ceased to be looked after under a special guardianship order each year. There were 3,830 such children in the year ending 31 March 2016. This information is published in national table D1 of the statistical first release ‘Children looked after in England, year ending 31 March 2016’, which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption-2015-to-2016

Pre-school Education: Finance

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to extend funding for maintained nursery schools beyond the two years indicated in the consultation on the Early Years National Funding Formula, published in August 2016.

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has considered funding maintained nursery schools under the School National Funding Formula instead of the Early Years National Funding Formula.

Caroline Dinenage: Maintained nursery schools make a very important contribution to social mobility. That is why, as we introduce new funding arrangements in the early years, we are providing local authorities with supplementary funding of £55m a year for maintained nursery schools for at least two years. This will provide stability by maintaining their current funding, and is part of our record investment in childcare – £6 billion per year by 2020. We will say more about the funding of maintained nursery schools later in the autumn in our response to the consultation on an Early Years National Funding Formula. And we will consult the sector on the future of maintained nursery schools in further detail, including on what happens after this two year period, in due course.

Arts: GCSE

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of GCSE students studied creative subjects in the last five years.

Nick Gibb: The Department does not define any particular GCSE subjects as ‘creative’, as many GCSE subjects involve creativity.A time series of GCSE results in different subjects is published as part of the ‘provisional GCSE and equivalent results in England’ statistical first release (SFR)[1].   [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/gcse-and-equivalent-results-2015-to-2016-provisional (Subject time series table)

Schools: Religion

Mr Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the Government's policy is on whether schools with no religious character can be run by religious multi-academy trusts.

Caroline Dinenage: A school with no religious character can be part of a religiously based multi-academy trust. This can only happen where it is approved by the Secretary of State and there is clear local support. To protect the school’s secular character and ethos we place legal safeguards within the school’s funding agreement and the Trust’s articles of association.

Children in Care

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many of the looked after children who were cared for in a friends and family foster placement were placed there under a section 20 of the Children Act 1989 voluntary agreement (a) as at 31 March 2016 and (b) for each of the last 10 years.

Edward Timpson: The number of children who were cared for in a friends and family foster placement in England at 31 March, and were looked after under a section 20 of the Children Act 1989 voluntary agreement, is shown in the table below1,2. Yearnumber20061,190200799020081,03020091,22020101,61020111,76020121,84020131,83020142,23020152,51020162,190 Source: SSDA903Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10.Numbers reflect the legal status of the child at 31 March, although in majority of these cases, the legal status was unchanged from the start of the friends and family foster placement.

Department for Education: Staff

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many civil servants in her Department work primarily on policy and practice for child welfare and family justice; and how many of those civil servants work primarily on (a) adoption and (b) children in care (i) under a care order, (ii) under section 20 of the Children Act 1989 and (iii) kinship care.

Edward Timpson: There are currently 203 members of staff working in the Department’s Children’s Social Care Divisions. Within those divisions there are 27 officials working exclusively on policy relating to adoption and family law, and 31 working exclusively on policy relating to looked-after children. The remaining 145 staff work within the following divisions: Children’s Mental Health; Innovation; Intervention; Child Protection; Social Work Reform; and Special Educational Needs. All these areas work closely, and have accountability for their policy responsibilities with regards to adoption and looked-after children. It is not possible to identify those that work specifically on the three care settings mentioned by the Hon lady.

Teachers: Retirement

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many nominations for an appreciation letter for being an exceptional teacher on retirement her Department has received since 2010.

Nick Gibb: The Department has received ten nominations for a thank you letter on retirement for exceptional teachers since 2013, seven of which were received in 2016. The number of nominations before 2013 is not available.

Special Guardianship Orders

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many special guardianship orders were made in respect of children who were (a) under one year old, (b) one to four years old, (c) five to nine years old, (d) 10 to 15 years old and (e) 16 years old and above on 31 March 2016.

Edward Timpson: The number of children who ceased to be looked after due to the granting of a special guardianship order during the year ending 31 March 2016, is shown in the table below1,2,3. Age on ceasing (years)numberUnder 17001 to 41,4705 to 91,00010 to 1561016 and over50 Source: SSDA903Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10.Only the last occasion on which a child ceased to be looked in the year has been counted.Figures exclude children looked after under an agreed series of short term placements.

Schools: Finance

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many instances of financial malpractice and irregularity in (a) free schools and academies and (b) community schools have occurred in each of the last three years; and what proportion of each type of school they have occurred in.

Edward Timpson: (a) The reported incidents of financial malpractice and irregularity (includes fraud, theft and irregularity) in free schools and academies in the last three financial years are set out in the table below. The proportion of each type of academy or free school they have occurred in is recorded in the corresponding brackets.Financial YearCases investigated by the EFASelf-Reported by InstitutionsTOTALAcademiesFree SchoolsAcademiesFree SchoolsAcademiesFree Schools2013/1410 (0.3%)3 (1.7%)28 (0.8%)1 (0.6%)38 (1.0%)4 (2.3%)2014/1510 (0.2%)1 (0.4%)21 (0.5%)0 (0%)31 (0.7%)1 (0.4%)2015/167 (0.1%)0 (0%)43 (0.8%)0 (0%)50 (1.0%)0 (0%)Totals of % may not add up due to rounding January Census data each year: YearAcademiesFree SchoolsTOTAL20143,6531743,82720154,4672554,72220165,1713035,474 Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-school-and-pupil-numbers Local authorities are responsible for the financial management of maintained schools, and they will usually be the point of contact for any allegations of financial impropriety. The Department for Education is careful not to overburden local authorities with monitoring requirements. Local authorities are required to provide an annual assurance that school funding has been used properly. However, the Department does not centrally monitor the number of allegations reported to each local authority

Adoption

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the proportion of adopted children requesting support that costs over the £5,000 fair access limit who live in the top 20 per cent most deprived local authority areas.

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will increase the fair access limit of £5,000 per child from the Adoption Support Fund from March 2017; and if she will make a statement.

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many applications for support of a value equal to or above £5,000 from the Adoption Support Fund have been made since that fund was established.

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the value is of the average application for support from the Adoption Support Fund.

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of total applications for support from the Adoption Support Fund are of a sum equal to or above £5,000.

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the effect of local authority funding on (a) the willingness of local authorities to approve support that costs more than the £5,000 fair access limit and (b) the ability of local authorities to pay their share of support that exceeds the £5,000 fair access limit.

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many applications for support from the Adoption Support Fund have been made in each month since it was established.

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will increase funding to local authorities to support adopted children who require therapy and support of a value above the £5,000 Adoption Support Fund fair access cap.

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of the Adoption Support Fund fair access limit on (a) children with significant and complex needs and (b) adoptive families.

Edward Timpson: As at 1 November 2016, 7,471 applications had been made to the Adoption Support Fund since May 2015. Evidence from families is that they have found that the support that they have received of immense benefit in a range of ways, for example, improving relationships, helping children deal with trauma, and improving education outcomes. Following an increase in demand for support, the Government is providing an additional £2millon to the Fund in this financial year, taking the overall amount available to £23million (up from £19million in 2015-16). For the remainder of this financial year as an interim measure, a £5,000 ‘fair access limit’ has been introduced to ensure that families can continue to access support throughout this financial year. We have worked with the Association of Directors of Children's Services to develop an approach that aims to maximise the number of families that are able to access support, whilst recognising there are exceptional cases whose needs are so great that local authorities and Government should join forces to ensure that they can access the support they need. The Fund will therefore support exceptional cases above the £5,000 limit, up to a maximum of £30,000 per child, where local authorities agree to match-fund these cases. Next year, the ASF budget will increase to £28million and there will be further increases in each year of this Parliament. We will be consulting with the sector over the coming months to develop a sustainable operating and funding model for the Fund for the future. Over 80% of applications to the Fund are for under £5,000 per child. Of the 7,471 applications to the fund 13,146 children have been supported, of which 1,686 children received funding equal to or greater than £5,000, this represents 13%. The average value of an application made to the ASF is £4,695.97 – please note this is average per application, many applications have multiple recipients. The proportion of children who have received support over the £5,000 fair access limit who live in the top 20% most deprived local authority areas, and the breakdown of the number of applications approved per month since inception are set out in the attached tables.



Adoption Support Fund statistics
(Word Document, 57 KB)

Sixth Form Education

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many new (a) school sixth forms and (b) 16 to 19 free schools have opened in each of the last six years.

Edward Timpson: Data on open schools is available on Edubase, accessible via this link:http://www.education.gov.uk/edubase/home.xhtmlYearNumber of 16-19 free schools opened2012/1312013/1452014/1582015/1632016/172

Children in Care

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which government departments have committed to providing additional support to care leavers through the Care Leavers Covenant.

Edward Timpson: The Department has embarked upon discussions with a range of organisations to promote the Care Leaver Covenant, including through a series of round table discussions with sectors, including Government departments. The formal process for signing up to the Covenant is not yet open. The commitments made by eight Government departments to improve the lives of care leavers are set out in ‘Keep on Caring’.

Foster Care

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many registered foster carers there have been in the UK in each year since 2010.

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many foster carers there are in the UK by (a) region or constituent nation, (b) local authority area and (c) type and level of foster carers.

Edward Timpson: This is a matter for Ofsted. I have asked Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw, to write to the The Hon Member for South Shields (Emma Lewell-Buck MP) with the information requested. A copy of his reply will be placed in the House library.

Free Schools

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many free schools were delayed in opening in each year since 2010.

Edward Timpson: Since the free schools programme began, 98 free school projects have had their opening date deferred. In each case there was a need to balance the risk of opening on the planned date against all the elements that must be in place to ensure that a free school is successful when it opens. Our guidance makes clear that allowing a free school project to enter the “pre-opening” phase does not guarantee that the school will open on the date originally planned by the proposer group, or open at all.Free schools offer excellent value for money. The National Audit Office found in 2013 that free schools were built 45% more cheaply than other school building programmes. The free schools that are already open will provide over 180,000 new places.

Children in Care: Housing Benefit

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to paragraph 3.85 of the Government's publication, Keep on Caring, published in July 2016, what progress is being made by her Department on exploring the extension of the exemption from the shared accommodation rate of housing benefit to age 25.

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking in collaboration with other government departments to promote the financial stability of care leavers.

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to paragraph 3.85 of the document, Keep on Caring: supporting young people from care to independence, published in July 2016, what progress her Department is making on exploring the extension of the exemption of care leavers from the shared accommodation rate of housing benefit to age 25.

Edward Timpson: My Department continues to work with colleagues in the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to consider whether there is any benefit to care leavers from extending the exemption to the ‘shared accommodation’ rate to age 25. We have also invited the Children’s Society to share some real-life case studies to illustrate the impact of moving to the shared accommodation rate. With regard to wider financial help, care leavers are entitled to a range of support including a Higher Education Bursary, DWP benefit support when returning to non-advanced education through the second chance learning scheme, and day one Universal Credit and hardship payments when sanctions have been applied. ‘Keep on Caring’ provides more detail on the support available and the areas where we are continuing to work with other Government departments. It is available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/535899/Care-Leaver-Strategy.pdf

Pupils: Chronic Illnesses

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the Children and Families Act statutory duty on schools to make arrangements to support pupils with medical conditions is being implemented effectively.

Edward Timpson: We know how important it is that children with medical conditions are supported to enjoy a full education. That is why we introduced a new duty to require governing bodies to make arrangements to support pupils with medical conditions and have provided statutory guidance outlining schools’ responsibilities in this area. Ofsted’s Common Inspection Framework requires inspectors, in making judgements, to pay particular attention to the outcomes of a range of groups of pupils, including those with medical needs. In addition, we are working with organisations with experience in supporting children with medical conditions to help raise awareness of the duty.

Pre-school Education: Finance

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of increases in inflation on the new early years national funding formula.

Caroline Dinenage: This Government is investing £1 billion of additional funding per year in the early years free entitlements, including £300 million per year to increase the national average funding rate. This record level of investment was based on a rich source of evidence – the ‘Review of Childcare Costs’ (available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/review-of-childcare-costs). The Review looked at both the current costs of childcare provision and the implications of future cost pressures facing the sector.

Children: Day Care

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the full cost of providing 30 hours of free childcare per week in a typical sized childcare setting.

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the extent to which childcare providers meet the full cost of providing Government-funded childcare places through cross-subsidy from users paying for private childcare places in the same childcare setting.

Caroline Dinenage: The government published an assessment of the cost of childcare in 2015, following a thorough review of the evidence. The review is available from: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/review-of-childcare-costs. The government has consulted on providing an average funding rate to local authorities of £4.71 per hour for the government funded 3 and 4 year old offer, of which 95% must be passed to childcare providers. This is above the representative costs per hour for 3 and 4 year olds set out in the review of childcare costs. Providers should therefore not need to subsidise government funding to meet the full cost of providing the 3 and 4 year old offer.

Children: Day Care

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the number of agency workers employed in childcare settings.

Caroline Dinenage: The department does not collect data about the number of agency workers employed in childcare settings and therefore it does not hold any such information.

Children: Day Care

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding her Department has allocated to the Early Years Capital Fund in each of the next three financial years.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department for Education has recently made £40m available through the Early Years Capital Fund. This was a bid round committed to creating new 30 hours places and was open to local authorities, working in partnership with providers (this may include providers that currently offer, or plan to offer, provision for 3- and 4-year olds) in their area. This one off bidding round closed at the end of August 2016 and we intend to publish outcomes in December 2016. As part of our conditions, we expect those successful capital projects to be complete by August 2017. At this stage, there are no plans for further capital funding to support the 30 hour programme beyond the current £40 million through the Early Years Capital Fund. We are however, creating a reserve list of projects that we would seek to fund should additional funding become available.

Free Schools: Ethnic Groups

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effect of the 50 per cent cap on religious selection on ethnic diversity in Church of England and other Christian free schools; and what evaluation has been made of the potential effect on ethnic diversity of removing such a cap.

Caroline Dinenage: The “Schools that work for everyone” consultation document makes clear that, overall, the effectiveness of the 50% cap in faith admission in promoting inclusion and community cohesion is questionable and that it has not led to mixed intakes in many faith-designated free schools. Many Church of England and Christian faith schools open a proportion of places to children of other faith and none. The Church of England has stated that it is their policy not to apply faith based oversubscription criteria for the free schools which they open in the future.

Social Services: Children

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will list the local authorities that have requested exemption from powers under social care legislation; and which powers in such legislation those authorities have requested to be exempted from.

Edward Timpson: No requests to use the power to test different ways of working can be made until the Children and Social Work Bill receives Royal Assent in 2017. We have had initial conversations with our ‘Partners in Practice’ local authorities about areas they would be interested in exploring. Case studies with further details about these ideas are available in an existing policy statement, which can be found at: http://data.parliament.uk/DepositedPapers/files/DEP2016-0760/Power_to_innovate_-_policy_statement.pdf

Children and Social Work Bill (HL)

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what consultation her Department has undertaken with (a) children, (b) social workers and (c) charities and professional organisations in the social work sector on the drafting of the Children and Social Work Bill; and if she will publish evidence of that consultation.

Edward Timpson: The measures in the Children and Social Work Bill are the result of substantial research, engagement, and consultation with the children’s social care sector and the children and young people it serves. This includes: - published reports on social work education by Sir Martin Narey and David Croisdale-Appleby, and on local safeguarding by Alan Wood. All of these draw on extensive interviews and consultation with key organisations and practitioners;- regular engagement with social work managers and frontline social workers by the Chief Social Worker for Children and Department for Education officials;- policy briefing and development sessions with a range of sector organisations including NSPCC, BASW, Barnardo’s, ADCS, ADASS, Unison, LGA, individual social work employers, and the Alliance for Children in Care; and- a series of consultation events with children in care and care leavers. Our key policy documents – Putting Children First; Keep on Caring; and Adoption: A vision for change – provide additional supporting evidence and set out our wider reform programme for children’s social care. These can be found through the following links: Narey review of social work education: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/making-the-education-of-social-workers-consistently-effectiveCroisdale-Appleby review of social work educationhttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/social-work-education-reviewWood review of local safeguardinghttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/wood-review-of-local-safeguarding-children-boardsPutting Children Firsthttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/putting-children-first-our-vision-for-childrens-social-careKeep on Caring https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/535899/Care-Leaver-Strategy.pdfAdoption: A vision for Changehttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/adoption-a-vision-for-change

Children in Care

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the statistical release Information on looked-after children at both national and local authority levels for the financial year 2015-16, table A2, how many of the 8,140 looked-after children who were cared for in a friends and family foster placement on 31 March 2016 had also been in (a) an unrelated foster placement, (b) another family and friends care placement, (c) a children's home or (d) other provision for looked-after children.

Edward Timpson: There were 8,140 looked after children in a friends and family foster placement at 31 March 2016. The number and percentage of these children that had experienced an earlier looked after placement of the types listed below are given in the following table.Looked after children in a friends and family foster placement at 31 March 2016[1]Number[2]PercentageWho had previously been in a foster placement not with friends or family3,14039%Who had previously been in a friends and family foster placement[3]1,74021%Who had previously been in a children’s home, secure unit or hostel1302%Who had previously been looked after in any other placement94012% This information is not currently available at local authority level.[1] Includes placements in a previous period of care, unless the child had been under the care of a different local authority.[2] Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10.[3] Information is given on the number and percentage of children who had previously had another friends and family foster placement. It is not possible to state whether the placement was with a different family/friend to the placement at 31 March 2016. This figure will include instances of children who ended a friends and family foster placement and then returned to that placement at a later date.

Free Schools: Ethnic Groups

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department's publication, Schools that work for everyone, published in September 2016, whether the figures for ethnic diversity in other Christian free schools presented in that document includes Catholic schools.

Caroline Dinenage: The figures for ethnic diversity in Christian free schools does not include Catholic free schools as there were no open Catholic free schools when this data was collected in January 2016 as part of the School Census.

Free Schools: Ethnic Groups

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of pupils are classified as of Asian ethnic origin at (a) state Catholic schools and (b) Church of England free schools and other Christian free schools.

Edward Timpson: The proportion of pupils classified as of Asian ethnic origin at (a) state Catholic schools and (b) Church of England free schools and other Christian free schools was 6.3% and 7.1% respectively in January 2016. This information has been calculated from the underlying data of the ‘schools, pupils and their characteristics’ statistical release[1].[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2016

Ministry of Justice

Administration of Justice: Females

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what her policy is on the treatment of women with mental health problems in the justice system.

Dr Phillip Lee: Addressing the treatment of women with mental health problems in the justice system is vital. Liaison and Diversion services in the community enable clinicians to assess and refer those who have mental health needs to treatment and support at the earliest opportunity, ideally at their first point of contact with the criminal justice system. These services are currently being rolled out across the country. In prison, all new prisoners are assessed by a health care professional on arrival and, where appropriate, referred to a range of individual or group mental health interventions or substance misuse treatment interventions.

Prisoners: Rehabilitation

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness the Government's policy on reintegrating prisoners into society.

Mr Sam Gyimah: It is vital that offenders are successfully reintegrated into communities if they are to turn their backs on crime and become productive members of society. Through-the-gate resettlement services delivered by Community Rehabilitation Companies mean that virtually all prisoners have access to targeted support to help them find accommodation and employment on release, and advice on finance, benefits and debt. To make sure that probation services are delivering improved outcomes for offenders and communities we are conducting a comprehensive review of the probation system. Prisons also have a vital part to play in preparing offenders for life after release, and close partnership working between prisons and probation is essential in making sure offenders are supported to reintegrate into society. Last week we set out our plans for prison safety and reform in order that custody better prepares offenders to lead law-abiding lives after release.

Environment Protection: Civil Proceedings

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when her Department plans to publish its response to the consultation on costs protection in environmental claims.

Dr Phillip Lee: We will set out how the government intends to proceed in due course.

Prisoners' Release: Housing

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of prisoners failed to find accommodation upon release in each year since 2010.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Local Authorities are statutorily responsible for working with and supporting an individual in order to assist them into securing settled accommodation, Additionally, as part of our probation reforms, all offenders get targeted support when they leave prison to help them reintegrate into society. This includes working with local partners to help them find accommodation. Figures for the percentage of prisoners who report that they were released into settled accommodation for the financial years 2010-11 to 2014-15 are published on gov.uk. From 1 May 2015 Community Rehabilitation Companies became responsible for helping offenders obtain suitable accommodation as part of their Through the Gate resettlement services. Information on what proportion of prisoners left prisons with settled accommodation for the financial year 2015-2016 and monthly information since April 2016 is not available centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Employment Tribunals Service: Fees and Charges

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 28 October 2016 to Question 49615, on Employment Tribunals Service: fees and charges, if she will provide further information on the progress made by the review; and how her Department defines the term in due course.

Sir Oliver Heald: It is important to ensure that full and careful consideration is given to all of the relevant evidence. We will publish the conclusions of the review when that exercise has been completed and the findings collectively agreed by Ministers in the normal way.

Criminal Proceedings: Females

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will implement the outstanding recommendations of the Corston report on the treatment of women in the criminal justice system.

Dr Phillip Lee: There has been significant progress in meeting the needs of female offenders since the publication of Baroness Corston’s 2007 report, the recommendations from which continue to inform our strategic direction for female offenders. We want to see fewer women entering the criminal justice system and in custody, and are working to ensure that at every stage of their offender journey, we are taking proper account of the specific needs of women, so that they receive the support they need to make positive changes in their lives.

Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when she plans to ratify the Istanbul Convention.

Sir Oliver Heald: This Government remains committed to tackling violence against women and girls, and to ratifying the Istanbul Convention. In most respects, the measures already in place in the UK to protect women and girls from violence comply with or go further than the Convention requires. Further amendments to domestic law, to take extra-territorial jurisdiction over a range of offences, are necessary before the Convention can be ratified. We will seek to legislate when the approach to implementing the extra-territorial jurisdiction requirements in England and Wales is agreed and Parliamentary time allows.

Powers of Attorney

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will make it her policy to create a central database of lasting powers of attorney.

Dr Phillip Lee: A central database of lasting powers of attorney is already in existence. The database is maintained by the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG).

Companies: Ownership

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions she has had with leaders of the Crown Dependencies on publicly accessible central registers of beneficial ownership.

Sir Oliver Heald: The Government’s priority is to implement the agreements concluded with all three Crown Dependencies to provide UK law enforcement and tax authorities with unrestricted and near real time access to beneficial ownership information on corporate and legal entities incorporated in these jurisdictions from a central register or similarly effective system. These measures represent a significant step forward in the ability of law enforcement authorities to investigate bribery and corruption, money laundering and tax evasion and put the Crown Dependencies well ahead of other similar jurisdictions.The role of the Ministry of Justice is to manage the constitutional relationship between the UK and the Crown Dependencies which are self-governing Dependencies of the Crown with their own directly elected legislative assemblies, administrative, fiscal and legal systems and their own courts of law. Details of ministerial meetings are published on gov.uk.

Companies: Ownership

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions she has had with leaders of Crown Dependencies on publicly accessible central registers of beneficial ownership.

Sir Oliver Heald: I refer the honourable member to the answer given to PQ 51448.

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, for what reasons her Department removed the requirement to have a panel member with direct experience of disability from the personal independence payments appeals process.

Sir Oliver Heald: The Government is investing close to £1 billion to reform and digitise our courts and tribunals to deliver swifter and more certain justice. Technology will be at the forefront of our reforms but specific support will be provided to ensure tribunals remain accessible to all and physical hearings will be used to resolve many cases. The proposed reforms set out in the Transforming our Justice System consultation would not change the circumstances where expert contributions are necessary to enable a tribunal to decide a case and these will continue to be important to the decision making process. As now, the Senior President of Tribunals would continue to determine when panel members are used but will be able to take account of any future changes to the way that cases are resolved.

Ministry of Justice: Theft

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will provide details of items valued at over £250 that have been reported stolen from her Department in each of the last two years.

Sir Oliver Heald: The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Motor Vehicles: Insurance

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether her Department has assessed whether there is a link between the incidence of whiplash injuries and the cost of motor insurance in the (a) UK and (b) North West; and when she plans to publish the consultation on potential reforms to whiplash claims announced in the Autumn Statement 2015.

Sir Oliver Heald: The Government remains concerned about the continuing high number and cost of whiplash claims and the impact on motor insurance premiums. The Government will publish details of its further reforms in this area shortly.

Ministry of Defence

Ministry of Defence: Cost Effectiveness

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 11 of the National Audit Office report, Departmental Overview 2015-16, Ministry of Defence, published on 21 October 2016, from which budget headings the £2 billion planned savings from military and civilian pay restraint referred to in that report will be made.

Sir Michael Fallon: Holding answer received on 01 November 2016



It was confirmed during the Spending Review that the Government would fund public sector pay awards at 1% for four years from 2016-17 onwards. This has reduced budget expenditure under the headings "Service personnel costs" and civilian personnel costs" as described in the NAO report.

Veterans: Mental Illness

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to prevent cases of mental ill-health among combat veterans.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence takes the mental health of its personnel very seriously. Maintaining good levels of mental health and wellbeing is achieved using a "through life approach" and the application of a wide range of measures based around a model of prevention, early detection and treatment. No system can guarantee to detect every individual at risk of a mental health problem. Nevertheless, measures are in place to increase awareness at all levels, including pre- and post-operational stress management training, a wide range of psychiatric and psychological treatments, and initiatives such as Trauma Risk Management. We are working hard to reduce the stigma that can be attached to mental health issues, and to encourage people to come forward. The Army's "Don't Bottle It Up" campaign is one such initiative.We also provide a wide range of effective treatments for those who need them. In Iraq and Afghanistan, we deployed uniformed mental health nurses to provide in-theatre care and treatment for our personnel. Theatres were visited by consultant psychiatrists every three months or so, who provided clinical and administrative support.In the UK, we have a network of military Departments of Community Mental Health (DCMHs), that are located to be convenient for major centres of military population, and that support the provision of healthcare that is available through Service primary care facilities. A wide range of clinically-approved psychiatric and psychological treatments are available, including medication, psychological therapies, and environmental adjustment where appropriate. If required, in-patient care is provided in dedicated psychiatric units through a central contract with an external provider.

Ministry of Defence: Working Hours

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many officials of his Department have opted out of the EU Working Time Directive.

Mark Lancaster: A total of 570 civilian employees in the Ministry of Defence have signed an opt-out agreement from the European Union Working Time Directive.

Ministry of Defence: Migrant Workers

Mr Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many citizens of non-UK EU countries work in his Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies.

Mark Lancaster: All Government Departments are bound by legal requirements concerning the right to work in the UK and, in addition, the Civil Service Nationality Rules.Evidence of nationality is checked at the point of recruitment into the Civil Service as part of wider pre-employment checks, but there is no requirement on departments to retain this information beyond the point at which it has served its purpose.More broadly, the Government will be consulting in due course on how we work with businesses to ensure that workers in this country have the skills that they need to get a job. But there are no proposals to publish lists of the number or proportion of foreign workers.

Cyber Security Operations Centre: Scotland

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much of the Cyber Security Operations Centre budget his Department plans to spend in Scotland.

Mike Penning: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) Cyber Security Operations Centre remains in the early stages of planning, which will consider the full range of the MOD's operational needs. However, as announced by the Defence Secretary in April 2016, the preferred location for the centre will be at MOD Corsham.

Armed Forces: Scotland

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much of the Maritime Mine Counter Measures programme budget his Department plans to spend in Scotland.

Harriett Baldwin: Companies and facilities in Scotland will be involved in delivering the Maritime Mine Counter Measures (MMCM) programme. Subject to the finalised commercial arrangements, it is estimated that approximately£5 million of the MMCM budget will be spent in Scotland.

Ministry of Defence: Innovation

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people are directly employed by his Department in the Emerging Technology and Innovation Analysis Cell.

Harriett Baldwin: The Emerging Technology and Innovation Analysis Cell, a Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015 commitment, has since been renamed the Innovation and Research InSight Unit (IRIS) and was launched as part of the Defence Innovation Initiative by the Secretary of State for Defence, in September 2016. IRIS currently consists of three full-time Ministry of Defence employees who will be joined by staff from the Home Office.

RAF Leuchars

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has to improve the (a) quality and (b) affordability of accommodation for service personnel based at Leuchars.

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has to invest in family accommodation for service personnel at (a) Leuchars and (b) elsewhere in North East Fife.

Mark Lancaster: In Financial Year 2017-2018 investment to improve the quality of Service Family Accommodation (SFA) in Leuchars is programmed to include:Replacement of 60 life cycle expired floor standing boilers;Replacement of 100 heating systems;Replacement roofs to 130 SFA.There is currently no work programmed for SFA elsewhere in North East Fife.The Ministry of Defence has recently introduced a new Combined Accommodation Assessment System (CAAS) which will offer a fairer, more transparent, simplified and modern approach. It will still consider a property's condition, size and location but will use modern, objective assessments.We have committed that the receipts generated by CAAS will be reinvested to improve the accommodation we offer to Service personnel and their families.The Future Accommodation Model is intended to offer more choice and flexibility to Service personnel, helping the military live in private accommodation and meet their wider aspirations for home ownership. The policy and associated implementation plans are still at an early stage of development and no decisions have been taken at this time.

RAF Leuchars

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, to which budget the revenue received from civil aviation visits to Leuchars in 2016-17 has been allocated.

Harriett Baldwin: The majority of revenue received from civil aviation visiting Leuchars is allocated to the RAF's Air Command budget which administers the airfield at the former RAF station. However, a small element of the revenue for each visit is allocated to the Ministry of Defence's Head Office budget to offset the Department's third party aviation liability insurance policy.

Ministry of Defence: Innovation

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the estimated annual budget is of his Department's Emerging Technology and Innovation Analysis Cell.

Harriett Baldwin: The Emerging Technology and Innovation Analysis Cell, a Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015 commitment, has since been renamed the Innovation and Research InSight Unit (IRIS) and was launched as part of the Defence Innovation Initiative by the Secretary of State for Defence, in September 2016. IRIS staff are in place and formal funding is due to commence in Financial Year 2017-18. Work is ongoing to determine IRIS's annual budget requirement.

Germany: Armed Forces

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many trained regular armed forces personnel were based in Germany in each year since 2010.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many trained regular armed forces personnel were based in Cyprus in each year since 2010.

Mike Penning: The requested information is provided below: Trained Regular Armed Forces Personnel based in Germany as at 1 January 201020112012201320142015201619,00018,48017,50014,82013,30010,5505,480 Trained Regular Armed Forces Personnel based in Cyprus as at 1 January 20102011201220132014201520162,8902,8902,6402,4502,4202,4202,290 Notes: UK Regular Personnel are Full time Service personnel, including Nursing Services and Loan Service personnel, but excluding Full Time Reserve Service (FTRS) personnel, Gurkhas, mobilised Reservists, Military Provost Guard Service (MPGS), Locally Engaged Personnel (LEP), Non Regular Permanent Staff (NRPS), High Readiness Reserve (HRR) and Expeditionary Forces Institute (EFI) personnel.

RAF Leuchars

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department plans to implement the Future Accommodation Model at Leuchars.

Mark Lancaster: The Future Accommodation Model is intended to offer more choice and flexibility to Service personnel, helping the military live in private accommodation and meet their wider aspirations for home ownership. The policy and associated implementation plans are still at an early stage of development and no decisions have been taken at this time.

Veterans: Employment

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to help veterans into employment.

Mark Lancaster: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 2 November 2016 to Question 50679 to the hon. Member for the City of Chester (Mr Matheson).



QnA extract on Veterans Employment
(Word Document, 14.99 KB)

Armed Forces: Deployment

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure families maintain networks of support when other family members are away on active service.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) recognises that the families of those who serve, play a vital role in the operational effectiveness of our Armed Forces.The UK Armed Forces Families Strategy published in January 2016 and its associated Action Plan recognises the unique challenges that Service families face including during periods of separation for operational reasons, often at short notice. The Strategy's vision is to create resilient and self-sufficient families, and to do this places Service personnel and their families at the centre of our welfare commitment and future policy formulation.Welfare is the responsibility of the Chain of Command and is delivered in the first instance by the Commanding Officer, supported by the Unit Welfare Officer who makes sure that families know who they can contact for support. Further advice and networks are available through the single Services Community and Development Officers, Regimental Associations, Charities, and the Armed Forces Families Federations.The Families Welfare Grant is used to enhance communication and engagement with families during deployments. It funds activities including distribution of welfare information such as leaflets, web pages and by the promotion of community activities. Also Social media (Facebook/Twitter) groups are used regularly by the Services, information support centres (HIVES) and Service families to communicate and as a peer support network.

Veterans: Mental Health Services

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many referrals have been made by GPs to the Veterans and Reserves Mental Health programme in each of the last three years.

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many ex-servicemen and women are currently participating in the Veterans and Reserves Mental Health programme in Worcestershire.

Mark Lancaster: Ex-Service men and women who have deployed since 1982 are eligible to receive assistance from the Veterans and Reserves Mental Health programme (VRMHP), as are reserves who have deployed overseas since 1 January 2003. All ex-Service personnel referred to the VRMHP will receive a full psychiatric assessment by a Consultant Psychiatrist. This assessment report is then sent on completion to their NHS GP and/or local NHS clinical team with advice on further treatment and care. Since April 2016, this assessment has been provided at the individual’s nearest Ministry of Defence Department of Community Mental Health (DCMH), which for individuals in Worcestershire would most likely be the facility at Donnington, in Shropshire. From September 2013, referrals to the VRMHP during each 12-month period are as follows:  Sep 2013 – Aug 2014Sep 2014 – Aug 2015Sep 2015 – Aug 2016Veterans112130186Reserves523425% NHS GP referred25% (75% self)65% (30% self)95% (none self) Fewer than five referrals in the above table are recorded as having come from Worcestershire during the most recent 12-month period. As the table shows, many referrals to the VRMHP initially came from individuals who self-referred. Since 2015, the VRMHP has strongly encouraged all veterans to obtain an NHS GP referral first, in order to obtain a ‘medically informed’ referral. This has meant in years 2015-2016 almost all referrals have come from the NHS GP, with a small proportion (about 5%) coming from NHS secondary mental health services or Service charities.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer of 29 March 2016 to Question 32105, what progress has been made on securing the release of the MQ-9 Reaper User Group terms of reference.

Mike Penning: All MQ-9 Reaper User Group nations have considered the request to release the Group's Terms of Reference (ToRs) and have agreed that they should be withheld. I am therefore withholding the ToRs, as their release would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

Armed Forces: Children

Dr Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on what dates he met (a) Ministers and (b) officials of the Department for Education to discuss academic support for children of military personnel.

Mark Lancaster: The Department for Education (DfE) has made a significant contribution to the Armed Forces Covenant, co-ordinated through the Cabinet Office-chaired Covenant Reference Group, which has been attended by both Ministry of Defence (MOD) and DfE Ministers. The DfE has provided £22 million through the Service Pupil Premium to support over 73,000 children from Service families in state schools in England. At official level the MOD works closely and routinely with DfE (and Devolved equivalents) to ensure that Service pupils suffer no disadvantage in comparison with their non-Service peers.DfE conducted a thorough analysis of the educational attainment of Service pupils at state schools in England in 2010, and levels of attainment continue to be monitored through joint working between the DfE and the MOD's Directorate, Children and Young People. The Service Children in State Schools Network provides vital support and advice for state schools in England, and both the DfE and the MOD sit on the Executive Board. In addition DfE have a permanent seat on the MOD's Children and Young People Board, which is currently chaired by Lieutenant General James Bashall.For full details of the close working relationship that the MOD and the DfE have on this issue, I refer the hon. Member to the MOD's written evidence to the House of Commons Defence Committee Inquiry 'The Armed Forces Covenant in Action? Part 3: Educating the children of Service personnel':http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmselect/cmdfence/586/58602.htm

MOD Lyneham

Dr Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the estimated cost is of refurbishment at MOD Lyneham for accommodating consolidated Army, Royal Navy and RAF training.

Mark Lancaster: The estimated infrastructure costs of the Tranche 1 Defence Technical Training Change Programme (DTTCP), the move of REME Technical Training to Ministry of Defence (MOD) Lyneham are currently £ 200 million.I also refer the hon. Member to the announcement made by Secretary of State on 9 September 2015 (HCWS182) that the Royal Navy, Royal Air Force and Royal Signals would not be moving to MOD Lyneham.

MOD Lyneham

Dr Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many personnel are being trained at MOD Lyneham.

Mike Penning: There were 1,097 military personnel under training at Ministry of Defence Lyneham as at 2 November 2016.

Ministry of Defence: Gold and Foreign Exchange Reserves

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 31 October 2016 to Question 49921, if he will place in the Library a copy of the forward purchase programme for foreign currency as at 1 November 2016.

Harriett Baldwin: Details of how the Ministry of Defence uses the services provided by the Bank of England as agent for HM Treasury's Exchange Equalisation Account cannot be released as its disclosure would prejudice commercial interests.Further detail on the Exchange Equalisation Accounts 2015/16 can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/exchange-equalisation-accounts-2015-to-2016

Armed Forces: Secondment

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many personnel from the (a) Royal Navy and (b) Royal Air Force are seconded to work on US Navy Aircraft Carriers.

Mike Penning: There are currently eight Naval Service personnel and no RAF personnel embedded on US Aircraft Carriers.

Aircraft Carriers

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has to test the suitability of the Northrop Grumman X-47B Unmanned Ariel Vehicle for operation aboard Queen Elizabeth Class ships.

Harriett Baldwin: We currently have no plans to test the suitability of the Northrop Grumman X-47B Unmanned Aerial Vehicle for operation on board the Queen Elizabeth Class (QEC) aircraft carriers. Defence will continue to explore a variety of options to augment the capabilities of the QEC carriers in future.

HMS Queen Elizabeth

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Royal Marine personnel are currently seconded to HMS Queen Elizabeth.

Mike Penning: There is no requirement for any Royal Marines to be part of HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH's crew at the moment although there is one Royal Marine chef currently serving aboard. Operational requirements will determine the number of Royal Marines assigned to HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH in the future.

Royal Fleet Auxiliary

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the principal technical faults are that have led to the delay of the transfer of the RFA Tidespring to the UK for customisation and capability assessment trials until 2017.

Harriett Baldwin: Delays in finalising elements of electrical design and the installation of Multi-Cable Transit insulation in accordance with new legislative regulations resulted in some adjustments in the build schedule. These issues have now been resolved and Tidespring is expected to arrive in the UK in early 2017 to begin UK customisation and capability assessment trials.Notwithstanding these issues, which are not unusual for any First of Class ship, build of the remaining ships in the Class is progressing well and we remain confident that all four tankers will be in service with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary by the end of 2018, as planned.

Ministry of Defence: Pay

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of women are employed by his Department on an inner London pay structure in the following pay grades (a) Administrative Assistant, (b) Administrative Officer, (c) Executive Officer, (d) Higher Executive Officer, (e) Fast Streamer, (f) Senior Executive Officer, (g) Grade Seven, (h) Grade Six, (i) Senior Civil Service Band 1, (j) Senior Civil Service Band 1A, (k) Senior Civil Service Band 2 and (l) Senior Civil Service Band 3.

Mark Lancaster: The proportion of women employed by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) receiving Inner London Weighting, which is paid if the permanent or temporary duty station is within a five mile radius of Charing Cross, as at 31 October 2016, is shown in the table below. The MOD pays an Inner London salary uplift to those whose permanent or temporary duty station is within a five mile radius of Charing Cross. As at 31 October 2016, the proportion of females employed in these roles was: Civil Service GradeFemale ProportionE2 (Administrative Assistant)21.5%E1 (Administrative Officer)50.3%D (Executive Officer)48.5%C2 (Higher Executive Officer)35.1%Fast Streamer31.7%C1 (Senior Executive Officer)34.8%B2 (Grade 7)40.5%B1 (Grade 6)32.8%Senior Civil Servant Pay Band 131.8%Senior Civil Servant Pay Band 221.4%Senior Civil Servant Pay Band 350.0%Total38.3%   NotesData is for staff on the Ministry of Defence Main and Senior Civil Servant pay structures.The data for Senior Civil Servants is based on them being posted in a London location.

Type 45 Destroyers

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 17 October 2016 to Question 47824, what provisions his Department has made to service all six Type 45 Destroyers when they are alongside together at HMNB Portsmouth.

Harriett Baldwin: Ships' maintenance and support periods are programmed depending on a ship's requirement and as part of the long-term Fleet Operational Schedule. We do not disclose the detail of such scheduling, as this would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

Syria: Military Intervention

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his US counterpart has provided him with information on the use of depleted uranium in Coalition operations in Syria; and if he will make a statement.

Mike Penning: The UK is not using depleted uranium in any of the weapons used in our counter-Daesh military operations in Iraq and Syria. The operational use of weapons by other nations is a matter for them to comment upon.

Armed Forces: Redundancy

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) Army, (b) Royal Air Force and (c) Royal Navy officers who had served for more than 12 but fewer than 16 years were made compulsorily redundant during the four tranches of redundancies from September 2011 to June 2014.

Mark Lancaster: The requested information is provided below:  Involuntary Redundancies September 2011 – June 2014, UK Regular Armed Forces Officers with 13-15 years of serviceRoyal Navy10Army30Royal Air Force30 Notes: Figures for UK Regular Service Officers include Nursing Services, but exclude Full Time Reserve Service personnel, Gurkhas, mobilised Reservists, Military Provost Guard Service, Locally Engaged Personnel, Non Regular Permanent Staff, High Readiness Reserve and Expeditionary Forces Institute personnel. All figures are rounded to the nearest 10.

Trident Submarines

George Kerevan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has made an estimate of the effect of the change in the value of sterling since the UK decided to leave the EU on the lifetime cost of Trident replacement.

Harriett Baldwin: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 17 October 2016 to Question 48369 to the hon. Member for Dunfermline and West Fife (Mr Chapman).   



Ministry of Defence Procurement
(Word Document, 15.32 KB)

Military Exercises

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what consideration his Department gave to conducting an environmental impact assessment of Operation Joint Warrior prior to the commencement of those military exercises in each year since 2009.

Mark Lancaster: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 7 November 2016 to Question 51680.



Military Exercises
(Word Document, 14.94 KB)

Ministry of Defence: Theft

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will provide details of items valued at over £250 that have been reported stolen from his Department in each of the last two years.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) works hard to detect and deter theft and there are robust processes in place to raise awareness of the need for vigilance in all aspects of security. Just as theft occurs in wider society, the MOD is not immune and we actively encourage individuals to report any evidence of loss or suspicion of theft. It is important to note that in some cases of reported theft the property is later recovered. In the case of key assets however, MOD sites have a wide range of additional security measures to ensure their safety.111 reported incidents of theft that included items above £250 were recorded for the period 1 November 2014 - 31 October 2015. 60 reported incidents of theft that included items above £250 were recorded for the period 1 November 2015 - 31 October 2016.In respect of the further detailed information requested concerning stolen items over £250 will take time to collate and I will write to the hon. Member shortly.

Army: Training

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department classifies a soldier to be trained after they have completed (a) Phase 1 and (b) Phase 2 initial training.

Mike Penning: On 29 June 2016, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence informed Parliament (HCWS49) that in future the Army plans to use Regular and Reserve Phase 1 trained personnel in response to crises within the UK. To reflect this, for both Regular and Reserve soldiers, the term 'Trained Strength' will include Phase 1 and Phase 2 Army personnel. This broader definition will be reflected in official statistics from 1 October 2016. The Royal Navy and Royal Air Force will continue to use their existing definitions of trained strength.

Department for Work and Pensions

Disability: Employment Services

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to improve access to specialist employment services for young disabled people.

Penny Mordaunt: ‘Improving Lives - The Work, Health and Disability Green Paper’, published on 31 October, announces a Personal Support Package for people with health conditions and disabilities, with a range of new interventions and initiatives designed to provide support that is tailored to the individual needs of claimants, including young disabled people.In particular as part of this package we will explore how to better support young disabled people by testing a voluntary, supported Work Experience programme. This will give young disabled people the opportunity to benefit from time in the workplace with a mainstream employer. It will enable them to build their confidence and skills, enhance their CV and demonstrate their ability to perform a job role.

Department for Work and Pensions: Working Hours

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many officials of his Department have opted out of the EU Working Time Directive.

Caroline Nokes: The Department does not keep records on this subject.

Access to Work Programme

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support his Department is putting in place to support people currently in receipt of Access to Work awards over the annual cap and their employers to prepare them for the end of the transition phase of the annual cap for existing scheme users.

Penny Mordaunt: The upper limit (annual cap) was announced in March 2015 and came into effect, for new customers only, in October 2015. New applications made between October 2015 and March 2016 were capped at an annual limit of £40,800, meaning that new customers could still potentially receive an award of £122,400 over a three year period. The annual cap was increased to £41,400 with effect from April 2016 and will continue to be reviewed annually. Those existing customers whose awards are or were above the annual cap have been notified that they will retain their current award, subject to usual annual reviews, until April 2018, provided their needs remain the same. In the meantime, Access to Work specialist teams are conducting annual reviews with customers and employers to establish the level of support required and determine whether there are any reasonable adjustments or other changes, such as greater use of technology, that could assist the customer overcome the barriers they face. Where appropriate, Access to Work will also commission a holistic workplace assessment of an individual’s support needs. We will monitor the application of the cap and consider whether any further flexibilities might be required in practice.

Children: Maintenance

Ronnie Cowan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) parents with care and (b) non-resident parents there are in Inverclyde constituency with a current (i) Child Support Agency case and (b) child maintenance case.

Caroline Nokes: As at June 2016, there were 1730 parents with care in the Inverclyde constituency that have a case with the Child Support Agency. As at June 2016, there were 1740 non-resident parents in the Inverclyde constituency that have a case with the Child Support Agency. Information on geographical breakdowns on the Child Maintenance Scheme is not routinely recorded for management information purposes and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. Notes:1) Numbers are rounded to the nearest 10.2) Cases have been allocated to a parliamentary constituency by matching the residential postcode of the parent with care or non-resident parent for all cases administered on the CS2 and CSCS computer systems and cases managed off system to the Office for National Statistics Postcode Directory.3) Parents with Care and Non Resident Parents might have more than one case so an individual may be included in the figures more than once.

State Retirement Pensions: Females

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 28 October 2016 to Question 50222, how many members of the public in (a) Scotland and (b) the rest of the UK have contacted his Department on the implementation of the Pensions Act 1995, the Pension Act 2011 and the campaign to equalise state pensions for women in 2016; and what proportion of those people have received a response from his Department.

Richard Harrington: The information requested is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Food Banks

Dr Philippa Whitford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department collects data on referrals to food banks by jobcentre staff.

Damian Hinds: The Department does not make direct referrals to foodbanks but offers a signposting service to those who have expressed an interest in using a foodbank; therefore no data are collected.

Employment and Support Allowance: Appeals

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people whose initial claim for employment and support allowance was unsuccessful died before their appeal was heard in each year from 2013 to 2016 to date.

Penny Mordaunt: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people died within a year of an unsuccessful personal independence payment in each year from 2013 to 2016 to date.

Penny Mordaunt: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Department for Work and Pensions: Iron and Steel

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate he has made of the level of procurement of British steel by his Department in the last 12 months.

Caroline Nokes: In the 2 month period to the 2nd of November 2016, the Department for Work and Pensions has procured no goods or services from British Steel.

Children: Maintenance

Ronnie Cowan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when his Department plans to release information on the 2012 statutory child maintenance scheme by (a) geographical area and (b) parliamentary constituency.

Caroline Nokes: We are not yet in a position to release breakdowns by geographical area and parliamentary constituency on the 2012 Scheme, administered by the Child Maintenance Service. At present this information can only be provided at a disproportionate cost. When data become available and fully quality assured they will be released as part of a managed process, which will be pre-announced and in line with the Code of Practice for Official statistics.

Jobcentre Plus: Training

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Answer of 21 July 2016 to Question 43098, what steps officials of his Department are required to take when they are satisfied that a customer faces clear and significant risks to their welfare or safety.

Damian Hinds: The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has an established approach to identifying and providing an appropriate level of support to all its vulnerable customers, including those with mental health conditions. DWP recognises any “individual who is identified as having complex needs and/or requires additional support to enable them to access DWP benefits and use our services” as being vulnerable. DWP uses its records to ensure that where individuals are identified as being vulnerable we take all reasonable steps to mitigate risks. This approach is adopted at all points of contact with the customer. When DWP staff are concerned that the risk to the individual’s welfare or safety is significant and immediate they are explicitly empowered to take all steps felt necessary to address these risks. Where the risk is not believed to be significant or immediate the established approach of working with the individual should be followed and, where necessary, contact made with relevant organisations to provide the appropriate levels of support.

Children: Maintenance

Ronnie Cowan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Child Support Agency (a) arrears-only and (b) arrears cases involving a current liability for a child there are in Inverclyde constituency.

Caroline Nokes: As at June 2016, there were 1270 arrears only cases and 350 arrears cases involving a current liability in the Inverclyde constituency, held by the Child Support Agency.Notes:1) Numbers are rounded to the nearest 10.2) Cases have been allocated to a parliamentary constituency by matching the residential postcode of the parent with care or non-resident parent for all cases administered on the CS2 and CSCS computer systems and cases managed off system to the Office for National Statistics Postcode Directory.3) A case is classed as having a ‘Current Liability’ if it is open, has children of a qualifying age and has a positive liability (i.e. assessment to pay maintenance). This includes cases due to pay via Maintenance Direct.

Employment and Support Allowance

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that people in the support group for employment and support allowance can access specialist employment advice.

Penny Mordaunt: There is no requirement for people in the support group to undertake work-related activity. However, they can volunteer for support or other provision if they wish. The Health, Work and Disability Green Paper, launched on 31st October recognises that we need to do more to help people placed in the Support Group who would like to work now or in the future. We are committed to understanding what works for those in the Support Group. We will undertake comprehensive research and develop a large scale trial to test and learn from different approaches of offering employment and health support for those in the Support Group. We are also consulting to establish if a ‘keep in touch’ discussion would be of benefit for this group, and if so, how and by whom should it be delivered, to ensure it meets the needs of individuals in this group.

Independent Case Examiner

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average waiting time is between a complaint being lodged with the Independent Case Examiner and being allocated to an Investigation Case Manager.

Caroline Nokes: Once a complaint has been accepted for investigation, the ICE Office will consider whether a solution to the complaint can be brokered with the relevant department or its supplier without having to request evidence from the relevant department or supplier, and the complainant – known as “resolution”. If it is not possible resolve the complaint, the evidence will be requested and the case will await allocation to an Investigation Case Manager. The Independent Case Examiner’s Office allocates complaints to Investigation Case Managers in strict date order, based on the date the complaint was accepted for investigation. The ICE Office is currently allocating complaints that were accepted for investigation in January 2016.

Access to Work Programme

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people by type of disability are in receipt of Access to Work grants worth more than the annual cap.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people by type of disability who have applied for Access to Work since the imposition of the annual cap have been given awards equal to that cap.

Penny Mordaunt: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Access to Work Programme

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Access to Work scheme users by type of disability are taking part in the pilot of personal budgets.

Penny Mordaunt: The Government recognises that people need support that is tailored to their needs. Personal Budgets are currently being trialled in Access to Work to offer customers greater flexibility to manage their Travel to Work or Support Worker costs.From clerical data rounded to the nearest ten, in November 2016 there are 40 people in the trial. It is not possible to break this figure down by type of disability. Rounded to the nearest ten, 30 more customers who were approached did not meet the qualifying criteria and were unable to join the trial.

Employment: Disability

Chris Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many employers are currently accredited under the Two Ticks scheme.

Chris Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that disabled people are made aware that the Two Ticks scheme is being transferred to the Disability Confident scheme.

Chris Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that employers transferred from the Two Ticks scheme to the Disability Confident scheme are meeting the requirements for which they are being accredited.

Chris Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what evaluation he has made of the effectiveness of the Disability Confident scheme.

Penny Mordaunt: The previous Positive about Disability (Two Ticks) scheme has been replaced by the new Disability Confident scheme, which was formally launched on 2 November 2016 with attendant publicity aimed at both employers and disabled people. Prior to the change there were about 3,500 employers listed as “Two Ticks”. There are currently more than 2,400 employers signed up to Disability Confident, with that number growing daily. The new scheme has been designed to give employers the tools they need to recruit, retain and develop disabled staff. Employers currently registered with the Two Ticks scheme are invited to transfer to Disability Confident. If they accept, they are sent the Disability Confident Employer self-assessment pack and allowed 12 months to undertake the self-assessment. Some employers have chosen to undertake the self-assessment straight away. In submitting details to be awarded Disability Confident Employer, the employer is required to confirm that they have undertaken the self-assessment. No validation of the self-assessment is required. However, to reach the highest level of Disability Confident Leader, a business must put that assessment up for external challenge, which could include examination by disabled groups, disabled staff networks or professional assessment bodies. The new Disability Confident scheme went live in a test and learn phase from July 2016. Feedback was considered and changes made to the scheme before it was launched on 2nd November. The effectiveness of the scheme will now be closely monitored, looking at the number of employers signed up by sector and by geographic area, as well as such issues as what offers of employment, apprenticeships, internships, etc. they are making and delivering.

Social Security Benefits: Greater London

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many households in (a) Tottenham constituency and (b) the London Borough of Harringey will be affected by the extension of the benefit cap to £23,000; and what the average cut in benefits will be.

Caroline Nokes: It is estimated that around 500 households in Tottenham constituency and 800 households in the London Borough of Haringey will be affected by the lower benefit cap in 2016/17.It is estimated that the average reduction to benefits for capped households will be £66 per week in Tottenham constituency and £68 per week in the London Borough of Haringey in 2016/17. These represent the overall average reduction from the benefit cap including the impact of both the existing higher benefit cap and the new lower benefit cap.Notes:Estimates assume no behavioural responses - any behavioural responses to the lower cap, such as claimants moving into employment, would cause the number of households affected to reduce.The number of capped households has been rounded to the nearest 100 householdsAverage amounts have been rounded to the nearest £1 per week.The methodology used to estimate the households affected by the cap and the average reduction is consistent with that described in the latest impact assessment published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/welfare-reform-and-work-act-impact-assessment-for-the-benefit-capThe benefit cap will be lowered from 7th November from £26,000 to £20,000, except in London where it will be lowered to £23,000 (a lower cap applies to single adult households). To help ensure Local Authorities are able to protect the most vulnerable Housing Benefit claimants and to support households adjusting to our welfare reforms, the Government will provide £870m funding for Discretionary Housing Payments over the next 5 years from 2016/17. Information about this and other measures to ease the transition for families affected by this policy change is included in the latest impact assessment at the link above.

Department for Work and Pensions: Pay

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of women are employed by his Department on an inner London pay structure in the following pay grades (a) Administrative Assistant, (b) Administrative Officer, (c) Executive Officer, (d) Higher Executive Officer, (e) Fast Streamer, (f) Senior Executive Officer, (g) Grade Seven, (h) Grade Six, (i) Senior Civil Service Band 1, (j) Senior Civil Service Band 1A, (k) Senior Civil Service Band 2 and (l) Senior Civil Service Band 3.

Damian Hinds: At 30 September 2016 Department for Work and Pensions employed the following proportions of women on an inner London pay structure in the pay grades listed. Pay GradeLondon Inner Pay ScaleTotal on all Pay ScalesLondon Inner as % of Total on all Pay ScalesAdministrative Assistant272929.2%Administrative Officer1285239295.4%Executive Officer27822560310.9%Higher Executive Officer512414012.4%Senior Executive Officer226144315.7%Grade Seven19282623.2%Grade Six9428632.9%Senior Civil Service Band 1396857.4%Senior Civil Service Band 2111764.7%Senior Civil Service Band 311100.0% Please note: it is not possible to identify Fast Streamers from the pay grade information held on DWP’s Resource Management system.

Children: Maintenance

Kirsten  Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 1 November 2016 to Question 49935, what arrangements he has put in place to assess the effect on the children concerned of the revised provisions in the 2012 scheme for varying child support payments following changes in income of the paying parent.

Caroline Nokes: Reported changes in income, where the new income level differs from the level previously being used by at least 25%, may result in a change in the amount of child maintenance due. Applying a tolerance of 25% helps to ensure some stability of financial arrangements for both receiving parents and paying parents across the course of the year.We do not make a direct assessment of the effect of a change of income on the child in the case, however, it is expected that paying parents will continue to meet their maintenance liability after any such change, ensuring payment continuity. Where this does not happen, the Child Maintenance Service will pursue the paying parent for any arrears accrued, taking the appropriate enforcement action.

Children: Maintenance

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what amount of Child Support Agency scheme arrears had been transferred to the Child Maintenance Service up to the end of September 2016.

Caroline Nokes: Up until the end of September 2016, Child Support Agency arrears totaling £352.7m had been transferred to the Child Maintenance Service.

Employment: Disability

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason the Green Paper Improving Lives: Work, Health and Disability, published on 31 October 2016, does not contain a commitment to aim to halve the disability employment gap by 2020.

Penny Mordaunt: This Government’s commitment to halving the disability employment gap was set out in our Manifesto. We have seen almost 500,000 more disabled people in employment over the past three years. Over the same time we’ve seen the employment rate for disabled people increase by over 4 percentage points, where it now stands at 48 per cent.We want to build on this. We are clear that sustained progress calls for action across the areas of welfare, employment and health. Although the Government has an important role to play in leading the way and facilitating change, everyone needs to play their part. That is why we have just published “Improving Lives: The Work, Health and Disability Green Paper”. It sets out the short-term action we intend to take to bring about change, alongside our intention to work with others to change perceptions and transform the culture around disability, health and work. The aim of the public consultation is to spark a proactive, wide-ranging and challenging conversation and build a consensus for change. It includes questions on proposals for longer-term reform over this Parliament and beyond, so that our systems, sectors and social attitudes all work together to help achieve the ambition of halving the disability employment gap.

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average waiting time was for people who successfully appealed their application for personal independence payments to receive a payment before being reassessed.

Penny Mordaunt: We do not hold the information you have requested and this could only be collected and provided at a disproportionate cost.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Arts: EU Grants and Loans

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate she has made of the annual funding received from the EU by arts organisations, programmes and projects in the UK in the last three years.

Matt Hancock: The Chancellor has guaranteed structural and investment fund projects in the UK that are signed even after the Autumn Statement. In addition, projects where UK organisations bid directly and competitively for EU funding will be guaranteed by the UK Government if the bids are won before our departure from the EU, regardless of whether or not the projects continue after departure. Funding for other projects will be honoured by the government if they are good value for money and are in line with domestic strategic priorities. Leaving the EU means we will want to take our own decisions about how to deliver the policy objectives previously targeted by EU funding. We are consulting closely with stakeholders to review all EU funding schemes to ensure that any ongoing funding commitments best serve the UK‘s national interest, while ensuring appropriate investor certainty. Information on EU funding through the Creative Europe programme for arts organisation, programmes and projects can be found in the answer to the PQ 31508 at the following website:http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2016-03-16/31508/ A number of arts and cultural projects have also received funding through the European Regional Development Fund during the same period. The Department for Communities and Local Government is the UK responsible body for this funding, and details of recipients are published on the DCLG website.

Broadband: Fermanagh and South Tyrone

Tom Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 17 October 2016 to Question 47357, what proportion of households in Fermanagh and South Tyrone constituency have access to superfast broadband.

Matt Hancock: BDUK estimate that currently just over 63% of premises have access to superfast broadband in the Fermanagh and South Tyrone constituency and that by the end of 2017 this is expected to rise to 65%. The Northern Ireland broadband project has further funding of over £3m to invest to support additional coverage. All premises with a broadband speed of less than 2Mbps can apply to the Better Broadband Scheme to gain an improved broadband service.In addition, we are committed to introducing a new broadband Universal Service Obligation (USO) within this Parliament. The USO will give households and businesses the legal right to request a broadband connection with speeds of at least 10 Megabits, no matter where they live or work. Ofcom’s view is that 10Mbps is an appropriate minimum speed for a USO for now, given typical household use of digital services

Mobile Phones: Fees and Charges

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department plans to ensure that UK residents continue to be subject to caps on mobile telephone roaming charges when abroad after the UK leaves the EU.

Matt Hancock: As we conduct our negotiations to leave the EU, we will aim to obtain the best deal for the British people. We will consider all options that are available to us, including those on mobile roaming.

Home Office

Refugees: Children

David T. C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether any of the refugees recently admitted to the UK from Calais as children will be subject to dental checks in order to verify their ages.

David T. C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps have been taken to verify the age of children who have been recently transported from Calais to the UK.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Home Secretary's statement on Calais on 24 October (Column 55) referred to the proper safeguarding, age assessment and security checks we carry out, working closely with local authorities and social workers in the UK, to ensure that the children transferred here are eligible to come and it is in their best interests to do so.

Immigration

Mr David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average time was for a final decision on an indefinite leave to remain application in each of the last five years.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The service standard for application for ILR is 6 months or 182 days.  Year DespatchedAverage Days to despatch. 201173.26 2012105.46 201391.44 2014104.52 201567.00  Notes Indefinite Leave to remain defined as those case types classed as Permanent Residence, Tier 1 ILR and Tier 2 ILR based on the case type matrix.Data extracted on 19 October 2016.These statistics have been taken from a live operational database. As such, numbers may change as information on that system is updated.

Children: Refugees

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether it is her policy to undertake tooth checks for incoming unaccompanied child refugees.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Holding answer received on 24 October 2016



The Home Secretary's statement on Calais on 24 October (Column 55) referred to the proper safeguarding, age assessment and security checks we carry out, working closely with local authorities and social workers in the UK, to ensure that the children transferred here are eligible to come and it is in their best interests to do so.

Home Office: Departmental Responsibilities

Dr Paul Monaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the implications of the UK leaving the EU on her departmental responsibilities.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Teams across the Home Office are assessing the impact of the UK’s exit from the EU on their work to establish future requirements

Asylum: Age

David T. C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether officials of her Department accept reports from dental consultants as evidence of age in cases where there is a dispute over the age of asylum seekers.

David T. C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seekers have submitted reports from dental consultants to support age claims in each  of the last three years for which figures are available.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Where clear and credible documentary evidence of age is not available, criteria including physical appearance and demeanour are used as part of the interview process to assess whether a person is under 18. This can be followed where necessary by a local authority assessment, in line with case law and approved by two social workers. In addition, the person may submit a report from a dental consultant on a voluntary basis. Records are not kept centrally on the number of reports from dental consultants submitted by asylum seekers.

Asylum

Dr Tania Mathias: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average weekly cost of accommodating an asylum seeker on (a) section 4 and (b) section 95 support was in the last 12 months.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Accommodation costs for S4 and S95 populations are just two elements of the COMPASS contracts. Information relating to the total value of the COMPASS contracts is available and in the public domain and can be accessed here: G4S (NEYH and Humberside): https://data.gov.uk/data/contracts-finder-archive/contract/503110/   Serco (NW): https://data.gov.uk/data/contracts-finder-archive/contract/503120/   G4S Midlands and East of England: https://data.gov.uk/data/contracts-finder-archive/contract/503120/   Serco (SNI): https://data.gov.uk/data/contracts-finder-archive/contract/503124/   Clearsprings Ready Homes (CRH) South of England: https://data.gov.uk/data/contracts-finder-archive/contract/503103/   CRH Wales: https://data.gov.uk/data/contracts-finder-archive/contract/487962/

Asylum

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to consult on regulations to be made under section 95A of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 as inserted by Schedule 11 of the Immigration Act 2016.

Mr Robert Goodwill: We plan to consult local government, non-governmental organisations and other partners on the regulations to be made under section 95A, concerning support for failed asylum seekers who face a genuine obstacle to their departure from the UK at the point their appeal rights are exhausted.

Sexual Offences: Social Networking

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to counter threats of rape and sexual violence made through (a) social media networks, (b) Whatsapp and (c) Twitter.

Sarah Newton: We expect social media companies, and internet platforms, to have robust processes in place and to act promptly when abuse, including threats of rape and sexual violence, is reported. The Government continues to work closely with social media companies and other relevant actors and experts to make sure they are committed to protecting those who use their platforms.The Criminal Justice Act 2015 strengthened two existing communications offences: section 1 of the Malicious Communications Act 1988, and section 127 of the Communications Act 2003 which can now be used to prosecute misuse of social media. The police now have longer to investigate either offence, and the maximum penalty for the former has been increased to two years imprisonment.The Crown Prosecution Service has published guidance to prosecutors this month on crimes involving social media, with a specific focus on Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) offences. This includes guidance that communications that contain images or videos of women with very serious injuries, or of women being raped, or of women being subjected to sadistic acts of violence, accompanied by text that suggests that such assaults / rape / acts are acceptable or desirable may well be considered grossly offensive and prosecuted either under section 1 of the Malicious Communications Act 1988 or under section 127 of the Communications Act 2003.The Home Office has allocated £4.6m of the Police Transformation Fund specifically to begin the critical work of setting up a comprehensive and joined up programme of digital transformation across policing. This money will help provide a step-change in digital capability, including a Digital Investigation and Intelligence (DII) programme, which will build police capability in relation to the skills and technology required to respond to the full range of digital crime types.

Post-mortems

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government has taken as a result of the conclusion made in the Hutton review of forensic pathology in England and Wales, submitted to the Minister for Crime Prevention in March 2015, that the coronial autopsy rate in England and Wales could be reduced by up to 40 per cent.

Brandon Lewis: The responsibility for coronial autopsies resides with the Chief Coroner. The Home Office has raised this issue with the Chief Coroner’s Office for their consideration.

Fires: Domestic Appliances

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government records the number of fires caused by electrical appliances in domestic dwellings.

Brandon Lewis: National Statistics on the detailed causes and locations of fires are published annually in the “Fire Statistics England” statistical publication series. The most recent publication, for the 2014/15 reporting year, can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/fire-statistics-england-april-2014-to-march-2015Accompanying data tables can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/fire-statistics-data-tablesThe next publication of Fire Statistics England, for the 2015/16 reporting year, is due for release in 2017.In 2014/15 there were 3,525 accidental dwelling fires in England in which the local Fire and Rescue Service recorded the source of ignition for the fire as “other electrical appliance”. This compares with 4,098 such fires in 2010/11.

Fires: Electrical Safety

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with stakeholders on introducing a national strategy to reduce electrical fires.

Brandon Lewis: Home Office officials work closely with a range of stakeholders and other partners to put in place mitigation measures to reduce the incidence and impact of electrical fires. This includes includes the Department for Business, Enterprise and Industrial Strategy, who lead on product safety issues; Electrical Safety First, a charity dedicated to reducing accidents involving electrical appliances; the Association of Manufacturers of Domestic Electrical Appliances (AMDEA); and local fire and rescue authorities.

Fires

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what procedures the Government uses for the recording of fire statistics; and when the next review of the Incident Reporting System is scheduled.

Brandon Lewis: Detailed information on incidents attended by Fire and Rescue Services (FRSs) is collected using the electronic Incident Recording System (IRS).Home Office regularly publish National Statistics on the number and type of incidents attended by FRSs, using data from the IRS. As part of the transition of the IRS from the Department for Communities and Local Government to Home Office, we are currently in the early stages of considering how best to review both the IRS functionality and data collection, to ensure they continue to meet the needs of FRSs and other data users, particularly in light of the Fire Reform Agenda. We continually collect feedback about the IRS to feed into future reviews.

Fires

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans the Government has to assess the cost to the economy of fire.

Brandon Lewis: This data is not held centrally.The Government will, continue to carry out such assessments as and when necessary for development of specific policy proposals.

Child Sexual Abuse Independent Panel Inquiry

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps are being taken to ensure continuity in the child sexual abuse inquiry.

Sarah Newton: On 11 August the Home Secretary appointed Professor Alexis Jay as the Chair of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse. Professor Jay has been involved in the inquiry from the start. It is for everyone to support the Inquiry as it continues its vital work to uncover the truth, expose what has gone wrong in the past and learn lessons for the future.

Crime: Databases

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for how long and by what method young people are recorded onto the crime data integrity programme.

Brandon Lewis: The crime data integrity programme is a series of inspections by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary of crime recording practice by police forces in England and Wales. The first round of inspections took place in 2014. The second phase is currently underway, and will see every force re-inspected to assess improvements in the quality and accuracy of their crime recording. The inspection programme does not affect the process for recording crimes, including those committed by young people, which should be recorded in line with the Home Office Counting Rules.

Home Office: Equality

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many equality impact assessments her Department carried out in each year between 2010 and 2016.

Sarah Newton: The Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) in the Equality Act 2010 ensures that public bodies take account of equality and consider the potential impact of decisions on groups with protected characteristics. All bodies exercising public functions who are subject to the PSED need to understand the impact of their policies and services on people with different protected characteristics and be able to provide evidence that this has been taken into account during the decision-making process. However, the legislation does not prescribe how this information needs to be recorded and it is not a statutory requirement in England to prepare or publish information in a particular form, such as an Equality Impact Assessment.

Home Office: Working Hours

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many officials of her Department have opted out of the EU Working Time Directive.

Sarah Newton: Information relating to Home Office officials who opt out of the Working Time Regulations is not held centrally. Collating locally held records could only be carried out at disproportionate cost.

Motor Vehicles: Theft

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to stop thieves using software to override keyless car entry systems to steal vehicles and contents.

Brandon Lewis: The Government has been working with the police and the motor industry to develop a clear and common understanding of the changing nature of vehicle theft, including through the compromise of modern electronic security systems. This has helped us to form a clearer and shared understanding with the police and industry of the methods used and what can be done to tackle these crimes, including through security improvements by manufacturers, targeted enforcement action by the police and changes in the way that consumers protect their vehicles.

Criminal Proceedings: Mental Illness

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent progress she has made in implementing the recommendations of the Bradley Report on liaison and diversion of people with mental vulnerability in the criminal justice system.

Brandon Lewis: Police forces work closely with local health and criminal justice partners to identify and deal appropriately with those taken into custody who may have mental ill health issues. Liaison and diversion schemes in police custody suites currently provide coverage for around 50% of the population of England. The Government recently announced provision of a further £12 million to extend this coverage to 75% of the population by 2017/18.The Government has also committed £15 million to provide for additional health based places of safety to ensure that those detained under section 136 of the Mental Health Act are not taken to police cells for want of a more appropriate place. Police cells were used as a place of safety on 2,100 occasions in 2015/16, a reduction of 54% on the previous year.

Fireworks

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of incidents attended by the Fire and Rescue Service have been related to fireworks in each year since 2010.

Brandon Lewis: The table below shows the total number of fires attended by Fire and Rescue Services (FRSs) in England and the number and proportion which involved fireworks, for each financial year since 2010/11, as recorded by FRSs in the Home Office Incident Recording System (IRS).  All fires attendedFires involving fireworks TotalProportion of all fires2010/11228,3836390.28%2011/12223,9235680.25%2012/13154,4454240.27%2013/14171,3293640.21%2014/15155,0003540.23%Fires involving fireworks include those in which fireworks were recorded as: the main cause of the fire; the source of ignition; the first item ignited in the fire; the item which caused the spread or rapid growth of the fire; or were recorded as a dangerous or explosive substance involved the fire.Note that the count of “All fires attended” in the table above excludes non-fire incidents attended by FRSs, such as false alarms and medical co-responding incidents.Detailed data on the causes and locations of fire for 2015/16 will be published in 2017.

Crime: Fireworks

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many recorded crimes have related to fireworks in each year since 2010 in (a) the UK, (b) Wales, (c) Newport and (d) Newport East constituency.

Brandon Lewis: The Home Office does not collect information on the number of recorded crimes related to fireworks. Any offences related to fireworks would be recorded under their regular offence category (eg. Shoplifting, violence etc.) and are not possible to identify separately.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Mr David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many named day written questions have not been answered with a substantive reply (a) on the day in question and (b) up to 4 days later than that day in the last six months.

Sarah Newton: The House of Commons Procedure Committee publishes official statistics regarding departmental PQ performance for each Parliamentary session.The most recent reports can be found here:http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-committees/procedure/Procedure-Committee-HC191-data-departmental-performance.pdf

Members: Correspondence

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her Department's policy is on Chief Constables replying to letters from Members of Parliament.

Brandon Lewis: Policy on responding to correspondence, including letters from Members of Parliament, is a matter for individual forces. Concerns about these policies, or correspondence itself, should be raised with the force in question or with the directly elected Police and Crime Commissioner.

Home Office: Theft

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will provide details of items valued at over £250 that have been reported stolen from her Department in each of the last two years.

Sarah Newton: Home Office Security have three personal items valued at over £250 that have been reported stolen between November 2014 and November 2016. These are:i) Beats headphonesii) Sony Z1 mobile phoneiii) iphone 6Staff may also report thefts directly to the Police therefore this data only covers thefts reported to Home Office Security.

Department for International Development

Israel: Palestinians

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of monitoring restrictions on access of goods and people into and out of (a) Gaza and (b) the West Bank for the (i) economic and social development of those territories and (ii) successful future coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians.

Rory Stewart: A comprehensive lifting of restrictions as part of a political agreement is needed to support sustainable economic development in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs). Meanwhile, we continue to monitor the movement of goods and people into and out of the OPTs, and call for an end to the movement and access restrictions that inhibit development in Gaza and the West Bank.In Gaza, DFID has supported the Materials Monitoring Unit (MMU) to effectively monitor the import, storage, supply and use of construction materials brought into Gaza through the Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism (GRM). Since September 2014, 1.6 million tonnes of construction material has entered Gaza through the GRM, allowing the completed or ongoing rebuilding of over 1000 fully destroyed homes and enabling the Gazan private sector to build public and private infrastructure. The UK also supports the Access Coordination Unit (ACU) to support humanitarian access into and out of the West Bank and Gaza, as well as producing data and reports that support advocacy for improved access and adherence to existing agreements.

UNESCO

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much financial support the Government has provided to UNESCO and its subsidiary agencies or national committees in each of the last five years; and from which government departments such support has come.

James Wharton: DFID and DCMS have managed the UK Government’s contributions to UNESCO and its subsidiary agencies over the last five years, a breakdown of which is denoted in the following table:  Total DFID contributions to UNESCO and its subsidiaries (£)Department of Culture, Media and Sport contributions to UNESCO and its subsidiaries (Contribution to World Heritage Fund) (£)Total UK government financial support to UNESCO (£)2011/1229,577,145132,30329,709,4482012/1311,165,043133,74811,298,7912013/1413,137,912110,91013,248,8212014/1513,275,902100,49813,379,4002015/1610,400,893101,16010,502,053 DFID pays the core contribution to UNESCO on behalf of the UK Government and chooses to fund additional programmes for dedicated work on specific issues.

UNESCO

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much of the financial support that the Government has provided to UNESCO and any of its subsidiary agencies or national committees has been counted towards the 0.7 per cent of GNI ODA target in each of the last five years.

James Wharton: Of the UK Government’s financial support to UNESCO, contributions which count towards ODA over each of the last five years are outlined in the following table: UK Financial YearTotal UK government financial support to UNESCO (£)ODA yearTotal UK government financial support to UNESCO of which counted towards 0.7% ODA spend (£)2011/1229,709,44820118,689,2502012/1311,298,791201217,094,2032013/1413,248,82120137,729,3732014/1513,379,40020147,813,4142015/1610,502,05320156,060,535 According to OECD DAC rules, 60% of funding to UNESCO can be counted as ODA. ODA is assessed on a calendar year basis, therefore UNESCO funding which is counted as ODA may differ significantly to annual contributions depending on the date of disbursement. The non-ODA remainder of UNESCO’s budget funds activities which benefit the UK.

Department for International Development: Communication

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the effect on communication to and from her Department and its in-country agencies of organisations whose funding is provided through intermediary organisations and not directly of that funding arrangement.

Rory Stewart: DFID has rigorous internal systems and processes to ensure that its aid reaches the intended beneficiaries and delivers results. We are determined to ensure that every pound we spend has maximum impact on reducing poverty. Due Diligence Assessments are undertaken on organisations receiving funding from DFID. These tools allow us to identify, understand and manage potential risks as programmes are delivered and to ensure that funds are properly accounted for. Risk levels are regularly reviewed and programmes closed if risk levels rise too high.

HM Treasury

Revenue and Customs: Finance

Stephen Kinnock: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department plans to make additional funding available to HM Revenue and Customs to resolve tax credit claims.

Jane Ellison: Currently no plans have been made to provide additional funding to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to resolve tax credit claims. HMRC has instead shifted internal resource in order to address the issue.

Concentrix

Stephen Kinnock: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what arrangements his Department has put in place to ensure that financial recompense and support is provided for tax credit claimants erroneously investigated by Concentrix.

Jane Ellison: If anyone feels their tax credits have been incorrectly withdrawn owing to errors by Concentrix, they should urgently contact HM Revenue and Customs, which will review all complaint cases and will pay redress where appropriate.

Concentrix

Stephen Kinnock: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what information his Department holds on what proportion of tax credit claimants erroneously investigated by Concentrix were women.

Stephen Kinnock: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the evidential basis is for HM Revenue and Customs communications to Concentrix that another adult may be living at the house of a tax claimant; and in what form such information is being conveyed to Concentrix.

Jane Ellison: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not hold information on the proportion of tax credits enquiries made by Concentrix where the claimant was a women. Nevertheless, HMRC undertook all necessary impact assessments to ensure protected groups were not disproportionately affected. As at April 2016, 88% of single claims were made by women and 88% of the single claims sent to Concentrix to check for High Risk Renewals 16 were women. The Concentrix workload is delegated by HMRC. The process for selecting claims for Concentrix compliance interventions is set out in sections A9 and A10 of the “specifications of requirement” annex of the Concentrix contract which can be found at: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/85d1b730-5e4e-4be8-ae4c-3ac1f359afc7 Concentrix were most recently undertaking High Risk Renewals enquiries under section 18 of the Tax Credits Act 2002, under which the claimant needs to provide a declaration to show that they are entitled to receive tax credits. In these cases, the tax credits legislation places the onus on a claimant for ensuring that HMRC has the relevant information. HMRC uses a wide range of data including third party data as part of a wider strategy to tackle tax credits error and fraud‎. HMRC has successfully reduced tax credits error and fraud from 8.1% in 2010-11 to 4.8% in 2014-15

Concentrix

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if (a) his Department, (b) HM Revenue and Customs and (c) Concentrix will issue a formal apology for each erroneous accusation made by Concentrix against legitimate tax credit recipients; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: I refer the honourable Member to my answer of 31 October 2016 (Written Question 50325)

Treasury: Working Hours

Tim Farron: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many officials of his Department have opted out of the EU Working Time Directive.

Jane Ellison: There are no employees in HMT who have opted out of the EU Working Time Directive

Food: Prices

Nick Smith: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has made an assessment of the effect of the UK leaving the EU on UK food prices.

Mr David Gauke: Food prices can be affected by many factors including agricultural commodity prices, exchange rates, the oil price, and trade barriers. The Government is currently reviewing its policy in line with the country’s decision to leave the EU.

Pension Funds: Public Sector

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps the Government is taking to protect public sector pension funds from changes in the value of sterling (a) while the UK is negotiating to withdraw from the EU and (b) when the UK has left the EU.

Mr David Gauke: Investment strategies in public sector pension funds are matters for the relevant trustees or local government administering authorities.

Inheritance Tax

Jim Shannon: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what guidance his Department makes available to help prepare for the consequences of inheritance tax and other death-related costs.

Jane Ellison: Guidance is available at https://www.gov.uk/inheritance-tax. More detailed technical guidance is available at https://www.gov.uk/hmrc-internal-manuals/inheritance-tax-manual. Bereaved customers and executors can also call the Inheritance Tax and Probate helpline and the Bereavement helpline for advice. In addition, information on inheritance tax is provided on the various inheritance tax forms and guides sent to executors following a death.

Concentrix: Tottenham

Mr David Lammy: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people in Tottenham constituency have had a tax credit claim stopped by Concentrix.

Jane Ellison: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) will be preparing regional analysis of tax credits claims and Mandatory Reconsideration requests, and this will be available in due course.

Shipping: Gas Oil

James Duddridge: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many British vessels have been prosecuted for using red diesel in (a) non-UK European waters and (b) waters controlled by the government of Belgium.

Jane Ellison: The Government does not hold this information.

Food: Charitable Donations

Frank Field: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much tax relief has been claimed by food retailers and manufacturers for the purposes of donating edible surplus food to charity in the last 12 months.

Jane Ellison: There is no specific tax relief for these purposes, therefore HM Revenue and Customs does not record the information requested. However, if a company donates its trading stock to a charity, it does not have to include the value of this gift in its sales income. This means retailers and manufacturers get tax relief on the cost of the stock they have donated.

Cabinet Office

Cabinet Office: Migrant Workers

Mr Chuka Umunna: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many citizens of non-UK EU countries work in his Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies.

Chris Skidmore: All Government Departments are bound by legal requirements concerning the right to work in the UK and, in addition, the Civil Service Nationality Rules. Evidence of nationality is checked at the point of recruitment into the Civil Service as part of wider pre-employment checks, but there is no requirement on departments to retain this information beyond the point at which it has served its purpose.

Elections: Fraud

Henry Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans the Government has to strengthen the security of voter identification to prevent electoral fraud.

Chris Skidmore: The Government is committed to tackling fraud and making our electoral process more secure. We have already taken steps to improve the security of UK polls through the introduction of Individual Electoral Registration (IER).The Government has welcomed Sir Eric Pickles’ report on his review into electoral fraud. The report sets out a number of findings and recommendations including in relation to voter identification. We are considering these carefully and will provide a response shortly.

Cabinet Office: Press

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Cabinet Office plans to alter official guidelines for (a) Ministers and (b) special advisers to Ministers relating to meetings with members of the press.

Ben Gummer: The Government publishes details of all Ministers’ and Special Advisers meetings on a quarterly basis with newspaper and other media proprietors, editors and senior executives regardless of the purpose of the meeting. Similar information is published for Permanent Secretaries.There are no plans to change the existing guidance.

Police and Crime Commissioners: Elections

Lyn Brown: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the (a) total cost and (b) cost in each principal category of expenditure was of the police and crime commissioner elections in 2016; and in which months of 2016 costs for each of the principal items were incurred.

Chris Skidmore: The total cost of the Police and Crime Commissioner elections held in May 2016 comprises two main elements: the expenditure incurred by Returning Officers in running the polls; and the cost of producing and delivering on-demand candidate information booklets. Returning Officers have six months from the day of the elections to submit their expenses claims and so the final cost will not be known until all of these have been received, scrutinised and settled. The majority of Returning Officers’ expenditure was incurred in April and May 2016.

Home Shopping: Fraud

Lyn Brown: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many fraud offences involving online shopping have been recorded by each UK law enforcement agency in each year since 2010.

Chris Skidmore: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Response to PQ51403
(PDF Document, 128.6 KB)

Elections: Fraud

Lady Hermon: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps are being taken to introduce the requirement of photographic identification for votes to eliminate electoral fraud; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Skidmore: The Government is committed to tackling fraud and making our electoral process more secure. We have already taken steps to improve the security of UK polls through the introduction of Individual Electoral Registration (IER).The Government has welcomed Sir Eric Pickles’ report on his review into electoral fraud. The report sets out a number of findings and recommendations including in relation to voter identification. We are considering these carefully and will respond shortly.

Digital Technology

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government has appointed a UK Digital Champion to replace Martha Lane Fox; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Gummer: Baroness Lane-Fox of Soho CBE, stepped down from her role as UK digital champion in 2013. She continues to be a member of the Government Digital Service Advisory Board, whose remit includes supporting government to deliver better services for users, reviewing progress, sharing experience, providing external expertise and raising public awareness. The current membership can be found here:- https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/gds-advisory-boardThe Government’s focus on digital is comprehensive and expanding, something underlined by the creation of three new senior roles. The Government Digital Service has been strengthened with the appointment of its first Director General of Digital, Kevin Cunnington. In addition, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has appointed Matthew Gould, as its first Director General for Digital and Media, and Liam Maxwell as the Government’s first National Technology Adviser.

Department for International Trade

Trade Agreements: Israel

Craig Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps he is taking to ensure that the UK secures a trade agreement with Israel for pharmaceutical products after the UK ceases to be party to the EU-Israel mutual recognition agreement on pharmaceutical certificates.

Mark Garnier: The UK and Israel have a strong and important trading relationship and the pharmaceutical sector is strategically important for the United Kingdom. Whilst it would be wrong to set out unilateral positions at this stage, we are committed to working towards a smooth transition for businesses to minimise disruption to exports and investment as we leave the EU.

Foreign Investment in UK: Israel

David Mackintosh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many jobs were created in the UK by Israeli companies in 2015; and what steps his Department is taking to encourage more Israeli companies to trade in the UK.

Mark Garnier: UK Trade and Investment, now known as the Department for International Trade, was actively involved in assisting 29 Israeli companies to set up or expand their operations in the UK and create 560 new UK jobs in 2015.The UK is the number one destination for Israeli FDI in Europe and there are now more than 300 Israeli companies established in the UK.Israel is an important trading partner for the UK and we are committed to further strengthening our trade and investment relationship.

Overseas Trade: Africa

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, with which African countries his Department plans to prioritise trade deals after the UK has left the EU.

Mark Garnier: The Government is currently reviewing its trade policy as the UK prepares to leave the EU. This offers us an opportunity to forge a new role for ourselves in the world: to negotiate and design, in time, our own trade arrangements. We recognise the need for a smooth transition which minimises disruption to our trading relationship with African countries.

Overseas Trade: Africa

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps his Department is taking to promote the ratification of World Trade Organisation rules and improve border and custom clearance procedures within the African continent.

Mark Garnier: The Department for International Trade is working with others to understand the issues which African countries face in implementing the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Agreement on Trade Facilitation and to encourage ratification of the Agreement by all WTO Members. The UK, through the Department for International Development, has committed nearly £180 million between 2013 and 2022 to support African and other developing countries to implement this Agreement to reduce red tape at the border.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Working Hours

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many officials of her Department have opted out of the EU Working Time Directive.

George Eustice: The number of officials that have opted out of the EU Working Time Directive is not collected centrally by the Human Resources directorate in the Department.Individual line managers within the department make the decision at a local level and also hold the supporting documentation. In order for us to gather this information, we would need to contact all line managers to collect this data and then collate it, which would be to a disproportionate cost.

Birds: Conservation

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to improve the habitat for the green woodpecker.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to improve the habitat for the grey partridge.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Habitat improvement is a devolved matter. In England, Agri-environment schemes such as Environmental Stewardship fund the provision of important habitats for farmland birds such as the grey partridge. In addition, grey partridge are among the farmland birds which will benefit from wild pollinator and farm wildlife package options under the new Countryside Stewardship scheme, for example by providing winter feeding, nesting sites and food for chicks. Green woodpecker numbers are increasing in England and while they are not being specifically targeted for conservation action they will benefit from general habitat management. The grey partridge and green woodpecker also benefit - as do other bird species - from England’s extensive network of protected sites for wildlife such as Sites of Special Scientific Interest and Special Protection Areas.

Environment Protection: Judgements

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the oral contribution by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, of 18 October 2016, Official Report, column 300WH, on environmental protection, for what reasons judgments can be made by (a) judicial review, (b) the European Court of Justice and (c) the European Commission; what the scope is of such judgments; and if she will make a statement.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: (a) Judicial review is the process by which the Court supervises the lawfulness of the actions and decisions of inferior courts and tribunals, public bodies and individuals who carry out public duties and functions. Judgments can be given on grounds including illegality, irrationality or unreasonableness, fettering discretion, unlawful delegation, procedural fairness, legitimate expectation and breach of the European Convention on Human Rights. (b) The Court of Justice of the European Union examines the legality of EU measures and provides for the uniform interpretation and application of EU law. Judgments may be given in infraction proceedings, direct actions against EU institutions or Member States, preliminary references from national courts or requests for opinions. (c) The European Commission does not give judgments. But it is given the power under the Treaties to bring infraction proceedings against a Member State where the Commission considers that the Member State has failed to fulfil an obligation under the Treaties.

Environment Protection

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the oral contribution by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, of 18 October 2016, Official Report, column 300WH, on Environmental protection, what information the Government holds on the average costs to the litigant of (a) a judicial review, (b) a case being considered by the European Court of Justice and (c) the European Commission; what the scope is of such judgments; and if she will make a statement.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: (a) The Department does not hold data on costs to claimants of specifically environmental judicial reviews. However, information on costs can be found in the paper The Value and Effects of Judicial Review. The Nature of Claims, their Outcomes and Consequences. London: Public Law Project. (available at: http://www.publiclawproject.org.uk/data/resources/210/Value-and-Effects-of-Judicial-Review.pdf). Claimants in environmental cases in the High Court may be entitled to costs protection, limiting their exposure to the defending public authority’s costs to £5,000 for an individual and £10,000 in other cases.(b) The department does not hold specific information on the costs to a litigant of a case being considered by the Court of Justice of the EU. There are no court fees in the Court of Justice which has power to grant legal aid to litigants.(c) The department does not hold any information about potential costs to litigants associated with the process of bringing a complaint to the attention of the European Commission.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Pay

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of women are employed by her Department on an inner London pay structure in the following pay grades (a) Administrative Assistant, (b) Administrative Officer, (c) Executive Officer, (d) Higher Executive Officer, (e) Fast Streamer, (f) Senior Executive Officer, (g) Grade Seven, (h) Grade Six, (i) Senior Civil Service Band 1, (j) Senior Civil Service Band 1A, (k) Senior Civil Service Band 2 and (l) Senior Civil Service Band 3.

George Eustice: The proportion of female staff based on an inner London pay structures, by headcount, is shown below  GradePercentageGrade 679%Grade 773%Senior Executive Officer65%Higher Executive Officer61%Fast Streamer93%Executive Officer70%Administrative Officer77%Administrative Assistant67%Note: % shown is of total of female staff on an inner London pay structure, rounded to the nearest whole number There is no inner London pay structure for Senior Civil Servants.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Temporary Employment

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much her Department has spent on agency workers in each of the last five years.

George Eustice: The Department publishes details of expenditure on temporary staff in its Annual Report and Accounts. The table below sets out those figures for each of the previous five financial years.   Financial Year  2011-122012-132013-142014-152015-16  Expenditure (£000)  5,2854,8496,20112,02011,181

UN Convention on Biological Diversity

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which Minister from her Department plans to attend the 13th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in December 2016.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: No Minister will be attending the 13th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity. From September to December 2016 there will be four major global meetings to discuss biodiversity conservation. It is not always possible to arrange Ministerial attendance at all meetings and difficult decisions have to be made.The Government takes biodiversity loss very seriously, as demonstrated by my attendance at the recent CITES meeting in Johannesburg and the Secretary of State’s planned attendance at the Hanoi Conference on the Illegal Wildlife Trade. Defra and the UK will continue to have a strong influence on this agenda.

Agriculture: Scotland

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make it her policy to seek access to the EU market under existing terms for Scottish agricultural firms after the UK leaves the EU.

George Eustice: The Government is now preparing to negotiate our exit from the European Union. Defra is working with the Department for Exiting the European Union to look at future arrangements including for the UK’s agri-food sector. As part of this, the Government will be working with the devolved administrations, including the Scottish Government, to take their needs and considerations into account as we negotiate and deliver the best possible deal for this country in leaving the European Union.

Ivory: Sales

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 1 November 2016 to Question 50488 and the Answer of 13 October 2016 to Question 47024, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential effect of the total ban on domestic ivory sales on the number of elephants poached for ivory.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The UK has made no formal assessment of the potential effect of a total ban on domestic ivory sales on the number of elephants poached for ivory. The UK’s proposed ban on trade in modern day, post-1947 ivory, announced by the Secretary of State on 21 September, is a significant step towards implementation of our Manifesto commitment to press for a total ban on ivory sales. It sends a global message of the need to combat the threat to elephants from poaching and puts pressure on other countries to act.

Peat

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many peat works the Government has bought out in each of the last five years; and how much the Government spent on buying out peat works in each of the last five years.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Department is aware of one purchase of peat works between 2011 and 2016 involving the compulsory purchase of land to enable its restoration as an internationally important peat bog habitat, including its designation as a Special Area of Conservation under the Habitats Directive. The final amount of the settlement is subject to a commercial-in-confidence agreement. Ancillary negotiations with other adjacent landowners are underway but have yet not concluded.

Peat: Licensing

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many peat extraction licenses are currently valid; and when those licenses are scheduled to expire.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Data on extraction licences are not held centrally. However, Natural England estimates that there are currently 29 valid peat extraction licences. All of the licences expire by 2042, with five expiring before 2020, six expiring between 2021 and 2030, four expiring between 2031 and 2040, and the remaining 14 expiring in 2042.

Clean Air Zones: Finance

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what funding and resources the Government has made available to cities that have been mandated to establish a clean air zone; and how much such funding she plans to contribute towards health awareness campaigns on those zones.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: In addition to committing £2bn to support greener transport initiatives since 2011, Defra has allocated funding to help five cities in England outside London implement Clean Air Zones and meet new burdens associated with implementing the zones.On 6 October this year the Government launched its Air Quality Grant for 2016-17, which will be at least £3m - significantly larger than the last three years. This is in recognition of the urgent need to support action on air quality and deliver the Government’s commitment to comply with the legal air pollution standards in the shortest time possible.Defra also works closely with the Department for Health, Public Health England, and their advisors the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants. Health awareness campaigns in the five cities outside London will be for the local authorities to decide on, based on their understanding of local needs.

Flood Control: Calderdale

Holly Lynch: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to policies 52, 53, 57 and 62 of the Calderdale flood action plan, published in October 2016, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Environment Agency's models for effective management of moorland in Calderdale on peak river flows in (a) Hebden Bridge and (b) Sowerby Bridge.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Environment Agency is currently modelling catchments in the Calder Valley to assess sites where natural flood management can be most effective and it is too early to comment on how these measures may affect peak river flows at Hebden Bridge and Sowerby Bridge. Natural England leads on Policy Numbers 52 and 62. As part of the England-wide strategy to restore blanket bog across the uplands, Natural England is working with moorland managers and other stakeholders to agree long-term plans that address the wide range of interests and benefits that functional blanket bogs provide. Through this process and its review of consents on blanket bogs Natural England will be advocating the use of heather cutting as a preferred management tool. In the Calder Valley Natural England is working closely with the Environment Agency, Yorkshire Water and others to understand how and where such changes in management can be introduced to best effect. Natural England has a duty under the Habitat Regulations to review any consents/permissions which were issued prior to designation as a European Site. Previously there was discretion as to whether the activities covered by the consents could be tackled through incentives and/or advice rather than formally affirming, modifying or revoking the consent. This discretionary aspect has been removed and under the 2012 amendment of the Habitats Regulations 2010 (Section 23) Natural England now has the legal duty to affirm, modify or revoke any consents issued on European sites, as soon as reasonably practicable. As part of an England-wide strategy to restore blanket bog to Favourable Conservation Status, Natural England is currently reviewing all consents on blanket bog in line with the duty above (including those which permit burning) and working with landowners to put in place sustainable management and use of these sensitive areas. This will include completing the necessary programme of capital works such as grip-blocking to restore the natural hydrology of the bog and seeding/planting of peat-forming species such as cotton grasses and sphagnum mosses. The Natural Flood Management Operational Group, a sub-group of the Calderdale Flood Partnership, leads on Policy numbers 53 and 57. The Calderdale Flood Partnership is chaired by Councillor Tim Swift, Leader of Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council. The Environment Agency and the Calderdale Flood Partnership remain committed to taking a catchment wide approach to reducing flood risk in the Calder Valley.

Clean Air Zones

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if the Government will recommend that local authorities who are establishing clean air zones should prioritise (a) schools, (b) hospitals and (c) other areas which vulnerable people frequent.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Local authorities are responsible for designing their Clean Air Zone in a way which will be the most effective for their area. The Zones will provide targeted action in areas where it is most needed, potentially including schools, hospitals, or other areas vulnerable people frequent. On 13 October we launched a consultation inviting views on the draft Clean Air Zone Framework, which will provide a consistent approach to the implementation of the Zones. It sets out potential action under three themes: immediate action to improve air quality and health, supporting local growth and ambition, and accelerating the transition to a low emission economy. Officials from the Defra/Department for Transport Joint Air Quality Unit have been working in close partnership with the five cities where a Clean Air Zone is being mandated to help deliver an effective and efficient tailored solution for each city. Each of the five cities will conduct a feasibility study to determine a scheme which will achieve the reductions needed in nitrogen dioxide levels within the required timeframe. These schemes will also be agreed by the relevant local authority and the Secretary of State.

Department of Health

High Weald Lewes Havens Clinical Commissioning Group

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Minister of State of 25 October 2016, Official Report, column 129, on undertaking to make inquiries of the Care Quality Commission (CQC) on the regulation of patient transport services commissioned by the High Weald Havens Clinical Commissioning Group, what the (a) names and (b) dates of operation of the providers about which he will undertake inquiries of the CQC are; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Philip Dunne: The commissioning of patient transport services is a matter for the local National Health Service. High Weald Lewes Haven Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) has provided the following list of current providers delivering patient transport services requiring Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulation. This list was shared with the CQC on 2 November 2016 for the CQC to undertake relevant enquiries. Permitted Contractor NameOperational start dateCoperforma1 April 2016Permitted Material Sub-Contractor NameOperational start dateSouthern Ambulance Services1 April 2016Elite Medical1 April 2016 Thames Ambulance Service Limited (Thames Group UK)1 April 2016Medi4 Limited1 April 2016UK Specialist Ambulance1 April 2016BN Gibson Ltd25 April 2016FAST Ambulance Service Ltd1 April 2016 High Weald Lewes Haven Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) advises that Docklands Medical Services Ltd signed a contract with Coperforma on the 2 May 2016. However, Coperforma informs the CCG that Docklands Medical Services Ltd became operational on 30 June 2016. The CCG advises that Docklands Medical Services Ltd voluntarily ceased trading in Sussex on 14 September 2016 and the last operational day was 13 September 2016. Since it has ceased operation in Sussex, the CCG confirms it is for this reason that it has not been included on a list of current subcontractors for Coperforma which are subject to regulation by the CQC. Docklands Medical Services (London) Ltd went into liquidation and ceased operation on 9 June 2016 and the CCG confirms it is for this reason that Docklands Medical Services (London) Ltd has not been included on a list of current subcontractors for Coperforma which are subject to regulation by the CQC.

Prescription Drugs

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to NICE's and NHS England's proposals for changes to the arrangements for evaluating and funding drugs and other health technologies appraised through NICE's technology appraisal and highly specialised technologies programme, published in October 2016, what assessment he has made of the potential benefits of introducing a fast track NICE technology appraisal process for technologies with an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of up to (a) £10,000 per quality adjusted life year (QALY) and (b) £30,000 per QALY.

Nicola Blackwood: The proposed fast-track technology appraisal process is expected to accelerate patient access to eligible treatments by around five months compared with the standard technology appraisal process. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence estimates that final guidance on products assessed through the proposed fast track process will be available 10-11 weeks sooner than for standard technology appraisal guidance. In addition, NHS England intends to fund treatments recommended through the fast track appraisal process within 30 days of final guidance, instead of the standard 90 days.

Prescription Drugs

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many medicines approved through the highly specialised technologies programme to date had a budget effect above the threshold proposed in NICE's and NHS England's proposals for changes to the arrangements for evaluating and funding drugs and other health technologies appraised through NICE's technology appraisal and highly specialised technologies programme, published in October 2016.

Nicola Blackwood: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has advised that it has published final guidance on three highly specialised technologies. Using list prices of these drugs, two would have exceeded the budget impact threshold as defined in the proposals. The actual budget impact of drugs recommended by NICE in highly specialised technologies guidance may differ from that calculated using the list price as NICE may recommend use subject to any patient access schemes or managed access agreements between the company and NHS England.

Prescription Drugs

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to NICE's and NHS England's proposals for changes to the arrangements for evaluating and funding drugs and other health technologies appraised through NICE's technology appraisal and highly specialised technologies programme, published in October 2016, on what basis the affordability threshold of £20 million per year was arrived at.

Nicola Blackwood: NHS England has advised that the proposed budget impact threshold is based on consideration of the frequency and magnitude of high budget impact technologies that have recently received a recommendation from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.

Prescription Drugs

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of NICE and NHS England's proposals to change arrangements for evaluating and funding drugs and other health technologies appraised through NICE's technology appraisal and highly specialised technologies programme, published in October 2016, for patients with (a) rare and (b) ultra-rare diseases.

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he has made an assessment of the effect of NICE's and NHS England's proposals for changes to the arrangements for evaluating and funding drugs and other health technologies appraised through NICE's technology appraisal and highly specialised technologies programme, published in October 2016, on the right to drugs and treatments that have been recommended by NICE for use in the NHS, as set out in the NHS Constitution.

Nicola Blackwood: The Department has made no such assessment.

Dementia: Worcestershire

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress his Department has made towards meeting the 2020 challenge on dementia in Worcestershire.

David Mowat: In March 2016, we published an Implementation Plan which sets out the actions partners across health and care will take to ensure commitments in the 2020 Challenge are delivered.In August 2016, the Department published the Dementia Atlas; an interactive online resource which members of the public can use to review how their area is performing against a range of data across the Dementia Well Pathway. You can access the Atlas here:https://shapeatlas.net/dementia/NHS England advises that it will shortly be reviewing the actions to date and the future plans of health and care partners in Worcestershire.

Department of Health: Working Hours

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many officials of his Department have opted out of the EU Working Time Directive.

David Mowat: 550 civil servants in the Department, across all grades, have opted out of the European Union Working Time Directive.

Thyroid Gland: Medical Treatments

Tom Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many patients are receiving natural desiccated thyroid on NHS prescription.

David Mowat: Information is not collected centrally on the number of people prescribed medicines. Information is available on the number of prescription items dispensed for desiccated thyroid. The number of Levothyroxine Sodium and Liothyronine prescription items written in the United Kingdom and dispensed in the community in England in 2015, by drug name 1DrugItems (000’s)Armour Thyroid3.8Efra Thyroid0.5Levothyrox/Liothyronine0.1Nature Thyroid0.2WP Thyroid- 2Total 34.6Source: Prescription Cost Analysis system data provided by NHS DigitalNotes:1 Desiccated thyroids are a combination product which contain the active ingredients ‘levothyroxine sodium & liothyronine’ which are both thyroid hormones. Different brands and strengths of desiccated thyroids are currently prescribed in England.2 Less than 50 prescription items dispensed.3 Total figure may not sum due to rounding.

Department of Health: Migrant Workers

Mr Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many citizens of non-UK EU countries work in his Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies.

David Mowat: As far as possible the latest available information requested about how many citizens of non-United Kingdom European Union countries work in his Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies is presented in the table below. Name of OrganisationNumber of citizens of non-UK EU countries working in each organisationComments‘Central’ Department of Health31 staff are identified as citizens of another EU country (Ireland) but 247 people have not declared nationality,Nationality is not a mandatory field in the Department’s Business Management System. As at 6 October 2016Care Quality Commission90As at 1 November 2016.NHS England87As at 31 October 2016NHS Digital40 have confirmed that their nationality is one of the non-UK EU countries. Of a total of 2,753 employees, 1,462 have confirmed their nationality. Health Education England2,589 staff, of which 43 are recorded EU nationals, and 612 have no recorded nationality.Nationality is not a mandatory field on electronic staff records.Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority5 or fewer Health Research Authority5 or fewerAs at 31 October 2016Human Tissue Authority5 or fewer Monitor53 record their nationalities as non-UK EU citizensFive or fewer employee records do not record nationality. Monitor is now part of NHS Improvement but is still a legal entity.National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)This information is not collected by NICE.As other EU citizens have the same working rights as UK citizens, including not requiring visas, we have not needed to collect and retain this information about employees.Public Health England352As of 1 November 2016Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency105

Disability: Young People

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of whether current levels of social care provision are sufficient to support young disabled people living independently.

David Mowat: No recent assessment has been made. It is for each local authority to decide the level and type of service to provide based on the needs of each individual and local circumstances and resources.

General Practitioners: Mental Health Services

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the proportion of GP appointments that are currently used for diagnosing and treating mental health illness.

David Mowat: It is not possible to cross reference general practice (GP) appointments and GP clinical data to determine what clinical purpose any given appointment has; therefore, the Department cannot calculate how many GP appointments are used for diagnosing and treating mental health illness.

NHS: Ethnic Groups

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 26 October 2016 to Question 49514, when the decision on whether to adopt the ethnicity values from the 2011 census within the NHS is expected.

Nicola Blackwood: A decision on whether to adopt the Ethnicity values from the 2011 census within the National Health Service is dependent on the ruling of the Standardisation Committee for Care Information.

Neurology

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to increase the number of neurologists.

Mr Philip Dunne: The latest Hospital and Community Health Services monthly workforce statistics, published by NHS Digital, show that as at 31 July 2016 there were 269 more neurologists in the National Health Service in England than there were in May 2010. This includes almost 200 more consultant neurologists and 70 more doctors training in neurology. As the national body for education and training, Health Education England (HEE) provides national leadership for and co-ordinates workforce planning and education commissioning activity to ensure that sufficient numbers of skilled workers are available in England for the NHS. HEE reports that the numbers currently undertaking neurology training are sufficient to ensure the consultant workforce supply continues to grow at current rates over the next five years.

Epilepsy: Nurses

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to increase the number of specially trained epilepsy nurses.

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimates he has made of the total number of specially trained epilepsy nurses (a) currently working in the UK and (b) that NHS trusts require.

Mr Philip Dunne: This information is not held centrally. National Health Service organisations are best placed to decide how many staff they employ, tailoring services to meet the needs of their patients and local communities to deliver safe care. Epilepsy is a post graduate speciality for nurses and is gained through Continuing Professional Development (CPD). CPD is the responsibility of the individual employer and should be identified and agreed via a Personal Development Review or appraisal between staff member and line manager.

Epilepsy: Ethnic Groups

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the total number of people from black and minority ethnic backgrounds suffering from epilepsy in (a) the UK, (b) London and (c) the London North West Healthcare NHS Trust.

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the total number of children and young people suffering from epilepsy in (a) the UK, (b) London and (c) the London North West Healthcare NHS Trust.

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of people suffering from epilepsy in (a) the UK, (b) London and (c) the London North West Healthcare NHS Trust.

David Mowat: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence estimates that epilepsy affects between 362,000 and 415,000 people in England. No estimates are available of the number of people with epilepsy from different ethnic backgrounds.Additional epilepsy prevalence data can be found via the Quality and Outcomes Framework, which includes an indicator based on the number of patients aged 18 or over receiving drug treatment for epilepsy, as recorded on a general practice (GP) register.Data are presented at GP and clinical commissioning group level, as well regionally and nationally. Latest results for 2015-16 can be viewed on the NHS Digital website at the following link:www.content.digital.nhs.uk/catalogue/PUB22266

Coeliac Disease

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to financially support people with coeliac disease.

David Mowat: The treatment of coeliac disease is a lifelong gluten-free diet. A range of gluten-free foods are available on National Health Service prescription to patients with coeliac disease. The Department provides general practitioners and other prescribers with a list of recommended gluten-free products to help patients, including those with coeliac disease, to manage their condition.

NHS Low Income Scheme: Asylum

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether HC2 certificates provided to asylum seekers being supported under section 95 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 are automatically renewed.

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average time taken is for issuing HC2 forms to asylum seekers; and how many such forms are currently awaiting processing.

David Mowat: Where UK Visas and Immigration make an assessment that asylum seekers qualify for support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, they issue HC2 certificates, conferring entitlement to Help with Health Costs via the NHS Low Income Scheme, which are valid for six months. If the asylum seeker continues to be supported at the time the certificate expires, they will be entitled to a replacement HC2. Asylum seekers who are not supported by UK Visas and Immigration can apply to the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) for a HC2 certificate. Those who were, but are no longer, supported by UK Visas and Immigration can also apply to the NHSBSA for a replacement shortly before their certificate expires. We do not have information on the average time that it takes UK Visas and Immigration to issue HC2 certificates to asylum seekers, or the number of claims from asylum seekers currently awaiting processing by UK Visas and Immigration. For the NHSBSA, the average time (from the period April to October 2016) for the NHSBSA to process an application to the NHS Low Income Scheme and issue a certificate, including for applications from asylum seekers, is nine days. The oldest claim currently awaiting assessment was received 14 days ago (as at 3 November). We do not hold information on the number of claims from asylum seekers awaiting processing by the NHSBSA.

Autism: Mental Health Services

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness and suitability of psychological interventions offered as autism treatments.

David Mowat: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has published a number of clinical guidelines that recommend psychological therapies for mental health conditions, including depression and anxiety which are experienced by people with autism. These clinical guidelines represent best practice and we would expect these be taken fully into account by clinicians.

Patients: Transport

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will initiate an investigation under section 48 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 into the provision of Patient Transport Services in East Surrey and Sussex.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Department has asked the Care Quality Commission to investigate the regulation status of all contractors and sub-contractors of patient transport services commissioned by the High Weald Havens Clinical Commissioning Group from April 2016. NHS England will also undertake an investigation into patient transport services in the region. Given these ongoing enquiries, it would not be appropriate to initiate an investigation under Section 48 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008. The Department will continue to monitor these developments.

Strokes: Atrial Fibrillation

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to reduce atrial fibrillation related strokes.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many strokes relating to prior atrial fibrillation occurred in (a) 2005, (b) 2010 and (c) 2015; and what forecast his Department has made of the number of such strokes in 2020.

David Mowat: NHS England’s Sustainable Improvement Team is taking action to promote the use of GRASP-AF (Guidance on Risk Assessment and Stroke Prevention for Atrial Fibrillation) within general practices in England. This is an audit tool developed by and trialled in the National Health Service which greatly simplifies the process of identifying patients with AF who are not receiving the right management to help reduce their risk of stroke. The Sustainable Improvement Team is also working with NHS RightCare, a programme committed to improving people’s health and outcomes, to help promote the use of GRASP-AF in the programme’s 65 first wave clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). NHS RightCare’s ‘Commissioning for Value’ packs help CCGs identify priority areas such as AF, and the GRASP-AF tool provides a practical method of addressing any inequalities. NHS England’s intention is that the work with NHS RightCare will increase the number of CCGs using GRASP-AF in a systematic way. All local authorities in England are required to offer the NHS Health Check programme, with the majority commissioning general practice to provide them on their behalf. Over 15 million people aged 40 – 74 are, have been or will be eligible for an NHS Health Check between 2014 and 2018. The programme’s best practice guidance recommends that a pulse check is carried out as part of the process of taking a blood pressure reading and those individuals who are found to have an irregular pulse rhythm should be referred for further investigation. Information on the numbers of AF related strokes is not collected centrally.

Dental Services: Registration

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of Capita plc in managing the process of applications to the National Dental Performers List.

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many applications to join the National Dental Performers List there were in each of the last three years.

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of applications to join the National Dental Performers List were determined within (a) one, (b) two, (c) three and (d) four or more months in the last three years for which figures are available.

David Mowat: NHS England is responsible for the National Dental Performers list and currently does not hold information centrally on how many applications have been received from individuals wishing to join the National Dental Performers list. Information on the length of time to process applications is therefore currently not available. Capita took on the contract for Primary Care Support Services on 1 September 2015, replacing a number of diverse local arrangements, and over the next two years are transforming the way services are delivered to make them more consistent, efficient, reliable, and ultimately better for end users. This includes administering the National Dental Performers List.

High Weald Lewes Havens Clinical Commissioning Group

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 1 November 2016 to Question 50156, if he will write to the High Weald Havens Clinical Commissioning Group to ask them to inform him of the value of invoices they have received from each trust which has incurred private ambulance costs arising from performance problems with Patient Transport Services provided by Coperforma and arms length driver operatives; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Philip Dunne: NHS England advises High Weald Havens Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) does not hold information about the value of the invoices of costs incurred by trusts arising from performance problems with Patient Transport Services provided by Coperforma. NHS England advises that National Health Service trusts that have incurred costs have invoiced Coperforma directly. However, analysis of costs has now been provided by Coperforma Ltd to the CCG. The CCG is working with Coperforma to validate this information and NHS England confirms the CCG will provide this information to the hon. Member in due course.

Cancer: Greater London

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people are undergoing cancer treatment in (a) Barts Health NHS and (b) each hospital trust in London.

David Mowat: The information is not available in the format requested. NHS England publishes monthly data showing the number of patients that started first definitive treatment for all cancers during that month. The most recently published data is shown in the following table. Total number of patients starting first definitive treatment for all cancers in Barts Health NHS Trust and each hospital trust in London, August 2016 Number of patientsBarts Health NHS Trust187Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust0Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust0Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust34Croydon Health Services NHS Trust30East London NHS Foundation Trust0Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust32Great Ormond Street Hospital For Children NHS Foundation Trust20Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust216Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust16Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust185King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust160Kingston Hospital NHS Foundation Trust52Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust56London North West Healthcare NHS Trust67Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust23North East London NHS Foundation Trust0North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust46Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust0Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust40Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust190Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust12South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust0St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust95Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust0The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust40The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust134The Whittington Hospital NHS Trust24University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust182Total of all London trusts1,841Source: Cancer waiting times, NHS England Notes:The data are published to monitor performance against the NHS Constitution pledge that there should be a maximum one month (31-day) wait from diagnosis to first definitive treatment for all cancers. Other patients who started first definitive treatment in earlier months may still have been undergoing treatment in August 2016.

Barts Health NHS Trust: Cancer

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many appointments for a first cancer referral were cancelled in the Barts Health NHS Trust in (a) the last six months and (b) 2013 to 2015.

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average waiting times are for a cancer referral in (a) Barts Health NHS Trust, (b) each hospital trust in London and (c) each hospital trust in England.

David Mowat: The information requested is not held centrally. NHS England collects information on the number of patients referred to a consultant with suspected cancer or breast symptoms and those who subsequently started treated for cancer; and the number referred and starting treatment within the waiting times standards. However NHS England does not collect information relating to the number of cancelled appointments for cancer referrals. The operational standard for patients with suspected cancer who are referred by their general practitioner (GP) to a consultant is that 93% of patients have a maximum two week wait. The percentage of patients who had their first consultant appointment within two weeks of an urgent GP referral in August 2016 is shown in the table below.   Percentage of patients who had a first consultant appointment within two weeks of urgent GP referral, August 2016Barts Health NHS Trust97.7%  London trusts: Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust96.2%Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust91.2%Croydon Health Services NHS Trust97.0%Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust94.0%Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust90.5%Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust97.2%Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust93.0%King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust94.2%Kingston Hospital NHS Foundation Trust98.4%Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust90.1%London North West Healthcare NHS Trust95.4%Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust100.0%North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust95.2%Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust100.0%Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust93.9%Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust100.0%St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust94.3%The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust95.3%The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust96.1%The Whittington Hospital NHS Trust97.9%University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust90.5%  Other England trusts: Aintree University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust97.1%Airedale NHS Foundation Trust98.8%Ashford and St Peter's Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust94.5%Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust95.0%Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust91.4%Bedford Hospital NHS Trust94.4%Birmingham Children's Hospital NHS Foundation Trust100.0%Birmingham Women's NHS Foundation Trust99.2%Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust95.1%Bolton NHS Foundation Trust98.5%Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust96.2%Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust94.1%Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust94.1%Burton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust96.9%Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust98.2%Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust96.0%Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust95.4%Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust94.0%City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust95.5%Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust94.2%Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust98.7%County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust90.7%Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust94.7%Derby Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust95.0%Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust94.4%Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust97.1%East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust96.6%East Cheshire NHS Trust97.9%East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust94.8%East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust93.9%East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust97.3%Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust94.7%Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust97.5%George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust95.6%Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust86.2%Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust83.9%Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust97.4%Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust98.3%Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust96.9%Hinchingbrooke Health Care NHS Trust93.1%Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust93.9%Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust95.1%Isle of Wight NHS Trust98.6%James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust97.2%Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust98.4%Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust94.0%Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust92.2%Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital NHS Foundation Trust100.0%Liverpool Women's NHS Foundation Trust95.7%Luton and Dunstable University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust96.1%Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust93.2%Medway NHS Foundation Trust80.2%Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust98.5%Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust94.4%Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust96.2%Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust95.7%Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust98.6%North Bristol NHS Trust86.9%North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust98.8%North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust93.7%Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust96.6%Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust83.6%Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust96.9%Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust96.1%Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust94.2%Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust95.5%Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust93.5%Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust98.1%Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust93.9%Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust99.9%Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust96.8%Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust97.0%Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust96.6%Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust94.6%Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust96.6%Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust94.2%Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust99.6%Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust90.6%Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust92.9%Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust94.3%Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust94.9%Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust100.0%Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust94.0%Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust94.6%Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust93.6%South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust93.4%South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trust96.6%South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust96.3%Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust93.1%Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust92.9%St Helens and Knowsley Hospital Services NHS Trust93.9%Stockport NHS Foundation Trust97.3%Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust93.0%Tameside Hospital NHS Foundation Trust94.5%Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust93.4%The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust93.4%The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust96.5%The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust96.9%The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King's Lynn, NHS Foundation Trust98.9%The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust100.0%The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust94.7%The Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust95.3%The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust100.0%The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust93.6%The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust100.0%Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust88.7%United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust81.1%University Hospital of South Manchester NHS Foundation Trust93.5%University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust93.9%University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust94.4%University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust93.9%University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust92.0%University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust94.9%University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust95.3%University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust93.8%Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust96.3%Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust94.0%West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust89.4%West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust93.0%Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust94.2%Weston Area Health NHS Trust94.9%Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust94.9%Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust65.9%Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust98.9%Wye Valley NHS Trust89.7%Yeovil District Hospital NHS Foundation Trust88.2%York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust88.7%  England94.0%Source: Cancer Waiting Times, NHS England

Midwives: Age

Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the age profile of midwives working in the NHS in England was in (a) the most recent year for which figures are available, (b) 2010 and (c) 2005.

Mr Philip Dunne: NHS Digital publishes workforce statistics and the following table shows the age profile of midwives working in the National Health Service in England at 30 September 2005, 2010 and 2015. Data for July 2016 is also provided as this is the latest available. The data is headcount because equality data relates to individuals.



PQ51597 midwives table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 17.71 KB)

Pharmacy

Mr David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the evidential basis is for his Department's proposal on a smaller number of large volume pharmacies reducing costs or improving NHS services.

David Mowat: The aims of the community pharmacy reforms are to improve the service offered to the public, make better use of pharmacists’ valuable clinical skills, and allocate taxpayers’ money more efficiently. Those reforms do not have a proposal on a smaller number of large volume pharmacies reducing costs or improving NHS services.

Pharmacy

Mr David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the potential savings which community pharmacies can make to clinical commissioning group budgets.

David Mowat: One of the aims of the community pharmacy reforms is to encourage much greater use of community pharmacy as a first port of call by fully integrating it with the rest of the National Health Service, so that more people benefit from the skills of pharmacists and their teams – including in general practitioner (GP) practices, urgent care hubs and out of hours services. It will also relieve pressure on other parts of the NHS, by embedding community pharmacy into the urgent care pathway.The new Pharmacy Integration Fund will drive the greater use of community pharmacy, pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in new, integrated local care models. This will improve access for patients, relieve the pressure on GPs and accident and emergency departments, ensure optimal use of medicines, drive better value, improve patient outcomes, and contribute to delivering a seven day health and care service.

Accident and Emergency Departments: Closures

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which Ministers of his Department have met with NHS Improvement and the Care Quality Commission in which weeks since 11 July 2016; and at which of those meetings specific accident and emergency department closures were discussed.

Mr Philip Dunne: Ministers have regular meetings with NHS Improvement and the Care Quality Commission to discuss a variety of issues. The redesign and delivery of front-line health services is a matter for the local National Health Service – clinically led by front-line NHS organisations and clinicians who are closest to the needs of communities and therefore best-placed to make decisions in the interests of their patients.

Department of Health: Pay

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of women are employed by his Department on an inner London pay structure in the following pay grades (a) Administrative Assistant, (b) Administrative Officer, (c) Executive Officer, (d) Higher Executive Officer, (e) Fast Streamer, (f) Senior Executive Officer, (g) Grade Seven, (h) Grade Six, (i) Senior Civil Service Band 1, (j) Senior Civil Service Band 1A, (k) Senior Civil Service Band 2 and (l) Senior Civil Service Band 3.

David Mowat: The information requested for civil servants employed by the Department as at 30 September 2016 is given in the table below. GradeNumber of females in gradePercentage of females in grade on Inner London Pay ScaleAO5364%EO23171%HEO17462%SEO18350%FAST ST24Not applicable *GRADE 727564%GRADE 610974%SCS 148Not applicable *SCS 211Not applicable *SCS 33Not applicable *Total1,111 * - There are no separate inner London pay scales for SCS and Fast Stream staff

Pharmacy

Mr David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the letter of 17 December 2015 from the Director General, Innovation, Growth and Technology, and the Chief Pharmaceutical Officer supporting NHS England, to the Chief Executive of the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee, in which parts of the country there are more pharmacies than are necessary to maintain good access.

David Mowat: The Government believes efficiencies can be made within community pharmacy without compromising the quality of services or public access to them. Following recent growth in the number of community pharmacies, 40% of pharmacies are now in clusters of three or more. In fact, two-fifths of pharmacies are within 10 minutes’ walk of at least two other pharmacies. As part of the community pharmacy reforms, we are introducing a Pharmacy Access Scheme to support access where pharmacies are sparsely spread and patients depend on them most. We will have a review process to deal with any unforeseen circumstances affecting access; like a road closure. We will also review cases where there may be a high level of deprivation and pharmacies are 0.8 of a mile or more from another pharmacy, if that pharmacy is critical for access.

General Practitioners

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 12 October 2016 to Question 47425, how many GPs require assistance.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 12 October 2016 to Question 47425, how much public money it is planned that each GP on the resilience programme will receive.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 12 October 2016 to Question 47425, what steps he took to encourage clinical commissioning groups to identify vulnerable practices by talking directly to the practices and local medical committees.

David Mowat: NHS England is offering support to over 1,000 general practitioner (GP) practices under the first wave of the General Practice Resilience Programme. The assessments carried out by NHS England local teams, concluded on 18 October 2016, identified 1,062 individual practices that will benefit from support this year to help improve sustainability and resilience, including support upstream of difficulties occurring. NHS England believes that the actual number to be offered support is likely to be greater, as some NHS England local teams are additionally targeting support across geographical areas more generally.NHS England local teams have been allocated £16 million this year to fund the support, as part of the four-year £40 million General Practice Resilience Programme. NHS England local teams are now implementing the support offer to practices. They have developed the support offer in response to assessed local needs and priorities and following engagement with local key partners including clinical commissioning groups and local medical committees. The support offered to individual GP practice will vary accordingly and be subject to an agreed Memorandum of Understanding setting out the outcomes and supplies for that support. As an example, some practices may receive funding directly to support the practice achieve an agreed outcome and others may receive externally facilitated support to help achieve an agreed outcome. Where funding is used to target support across geographical areas, practices will receive information locally on the support available and how they can access this.NHS England’s operational guidance on implementing the General Practice Resilience Programme was clear on the need and benefits of its local teams working in conjunction with clinical commissioning groups and local medical committees and other key partners to deliver the programme. This includes in the selection of practices to support under the programme. In addition, the criteria set out in the guidance to prioritise and select practices for support recognises and weights the importance of the local external perspective. Support from clinical commissioning groups, local medical committees and practices themselves (self-referring) all add weight to practices selection for support.

NHS: Drugs

Nicky Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether clinical commissioning groups' medicine management teams are held accountable by NHS England where they choose not to follow NICE guidelines.

David Mowat: Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) cannot ignore National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines without having a clear clinical case for doing so, as they are based on the best available evidence. In the event of this happening there would have to be a clear documented rationale signed off through CCG governance.

Department of Health: Temporary Employment

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much his Department has spent on agency workers in each of the last five years.

David Mowat: We have interpreted the question as referring to spend by the core Department. The Department’s spend on agency staff for the years 2011-12 to 2015-16 is provided in the table below. The figure for agency staff includes all non-payroll staff expenditure. The figure is recorded in the Department’s Annual Report and Accounts. 2011-122012-132013-142014-152015-16£000s£000s£000s£000s£000s70,96456,59339,99119,70513,191 Source: Department of Health audited accounts 2011-16

Mental Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Mental Health Five Year Forward View Dashboard, when the data relating to the indicator, spend on community forensic model, will be published.

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Mental Health Five Year Forward View Dashboard, when he plans to publish data relating to the indicator in the Health and Justice category proportion of cases who receive mental health treatment following a referral for mental health support from learning and disability services.

Nicola Blackwood: NHS England is working in collaboration with the Department, NHS Improvement and NHS Digital to improve the data available to track progress in mental health services, however this will take time. The mental health dashboard pulls together in the public domain, for the first time, measures across mental health services. The mental health dashboard will develop alongside our work to deliver against the recommendations in the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health.

NHS: Drugs

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department has made an assessment of the relative cost-effectiveness of using (a) branded and (b) non branded drugs; and if he will make a statement.

Nicola Blackwood: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence provides guidance on the clinical and cost-effectiveness of drugs, as part of its technology appraisal programme. Non branded drugs (generics) are as effective as their branded equivalents, and usually come at much lower cost, hence are more cost-effective than branded equivalents.

Social Services and Pensions: Young People

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Government Actuary's Department report, a cohort approach to social care funding, published on 15 September 2016, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of his Department's policies on meeting the pension and social care needs of the millennial generation; and if he will bring forward proposals for a cohort approach to social care funding in the Autumn Statement.

David Mowat: I refer the Honourable Member to the answer I gave on 17 October 2016 to Question 46900.

NHS: Civil Proceedings

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) clinical negligence claims and (b) non-clinical negligence claims against the NHS in England the NHS Litigation Authority has received in each of the last 10 years; how many such claims resulted in compensation payments by the NHS; how much was paid in compensation and legal costs in respect of those claims in each of those years; and how much has been (i) claimed and (ii) paid in compensation in respect of (A) physical and (B) mental healthcare.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Department does not hold the data to answer the question. The data in the attached tables has been supplied by the NHS Litigation Authority. One table is in relation to Clinical Negligence claims and the other table is in relation to Non Clinical Negligence claims.



PQ51878 tables
(Excel SpreadSheet, 23.87 KB)

Mental Health Services

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 17 October 2016 to Question 46905, who is responsible for monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of public expenditure on community mental health services.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 17 October 2016 to Question 46905, what estimate he has made of the total investment required to increase spending on mental health each year in line with the growth of clinical commissioning groups overall funding allocations.

Nicola Blackwood: NHS England is responsible for the monitoring and evaluation of the effectiveness of public expenditure on community mental health services. The Department holds NHS England to account for improving mental health services through the NHS Mandate. NHS England publishes an annual progress report on its performance against the NHS Mandate.In 2016/17, NHS England developed the Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) Improvement and Assessment Framework which measures the performance of CCGs against key priorities including those in the NHS Mandate.The table below sets out the expected minimum increase in CCG spending as a result of the Mental Health Investment Standard. 2015-162016-172017-182018-192019-202020-21Average CCG allocations growth 3.74%2.14%2.15%2.24%3.85%CCG mental health baseline spend (£ million)9,148.0 Expected minimum CCG mental health baseline spend (£ million) 9,489.99,693.09,900.910,122.310,512.1Minimum investment expected - year on year (£ million) 341.9203.1208.0221.3389.8Minimum investment expected - compared to 15/16 baseline (£ million) 341.9545.0752.9974.31364.1

Coeliac Disease

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the prescription of gluten-free medicines for people with coeliac disease.

David Mowat: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my Rt. hon. Friend the then Minister of State (Alistair Burt) on 9 June 2016 to Question 39426.

General Practitioners

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 17 October 2016 to Question 47387, what the evidential basis is for the statement that there has been no material deterioration in quality and safety standards within primary care in the last five years.

David Mowat: The latest available independent evidence about the standards of quality and safety in primary care is from the recently published Care Quality Commission State of Care Report, which states: “The majority of GP practices are providing good quality care and leading the change in service design. The majority of GP practices provide a good quality of care to their patients. We have rated 83% of practices as good and a further 4% as outstanding. Where we have re-inspected, three-quarters of practices (153 out of 203) that needed to improve have done so.”

General Practitioners

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 17 October 2016 to Question 47387, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the increasing volume of patients on the conditions and pressure that GPs are working under.

David Mowat: On 21 April 2016, NHS England published the General Practice Forward View, which recognised the need to expand and strengthen primary and ‘out of hospital’ care and to invest more in primary care. The General Practice Forward View is a package of support to help get general practice back on its feet, improve patient care and access, and invest in new ways of providing primary care. As part of the General Practice Forward View, a new four year £40 million practice resilience programme was announced. 1,062 individual practices will benefit from support from this programme this year. There will also be £16 million extra investment in specialist mental health services to support general practitioners (GPs) suffering with burn out and stress and support retention of GPs. NHS England will soon launch a major new programme of practice development. This will provide practical support for practices to implement new ways of working that release GPs’ time, making it easier for patients to get the help they need and for GPs to spend more time doing what only they can do. This will have benefits for patients and reduce pressure on hard-working staff in GP practices. There are plans to double the rate of growth of the medical workforce to create an extra 5,000 additional doctors working in general practice by 2020. This will include increasing GP training recruitment, a major national and international recruitment campaign, bursaries and post-certificate of completion of training fellowships in hard to recruit areas, and encouraging GPs back into general practice. There is also a commitment to a minimum of 5,000 other staff working in general practice by 2020/21. This will include investment in an extra 3,000 mental health therapists and investment to pilot and then extend clinical pharmacists in practices. There will be investment in a general practice nurse development strategy and to support the training of reception and clerical staff, practice manager development and multi-disciplinary training hubs. In addition there will be introduction of a new Pharmacy Integration Fund, pilots of new medical assistant roles to support doctors and investment by Health Education England in the training of 1,000 physician associates to support general practice.

NHS Low Income Scheme

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answers of 12 September 2016 and 17 October 2016 to Questions 44396 and 46907, on NHS: low pay, what the reason is for the discrepancy between the figures given in each of those questions for direct costs.

David Mowat: The figure quoted in response to Question 46906 relates to the direct costs of administering the NHS Low Income Scheme for England only. The figure quoted in the response to Question 44396 relates to the combined direct costs of administering the scheme for England, Scotland and Wales.

Mental Health Services: Children

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make NHS mental health  services routinely available to children who have been abused before they receive a clinical diagnosis.

Nicola Blackwood: It is important that mental health care is provided on the basis of clinical need. While mental health treatment is often important to support recovery, there are times when other support can be beneficial in helping children and young people to recover from the trauma that arises from crimes committed against them. Where mental health care is needed, we want to ensure that children and young people can access good quality care, and the Government is committed to the vision set out in the report Future in mind to transform the future of mental health services for all children and young people. This transformation is being supported by £1.25 billion of additional government investment over the course of this Parliament. It is expected that by 2020 an extra 70,000 children and young people will be helped every year. Local areas have produced Local Transformation Plans (LTPs) to improve the way these services are commissioned and delivered. LTPs should cover the full spectrum of service provision, including addressing the mental health needs of all children and young people. This includes the most vulnerable groups such as those who have been sexually abused or sexually exploited, making it easier for them to access the support they need when and where they need it. From 2016-17 LTPs will be integrated into the wider Sustainability and Transformation Planning process. This will support the longer term planning of these vital services. There is still more to be done to commission effective services. In August 2015, NHS England published a Commissioning Framework for Adult and Paediatric Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) Services which outlines the core services in SARCs and referral pathways to other services. This is now being rolled out throughout England. NHS England has increased National Health Service funding to SARCs by £16 million per year, to improve paediatric services for sexually abused children.

Heart Diseases: Transplant Surgery

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people are on NHS waiting lists for heart transplants.

Nicola Blackwood: Up to date information on the number of people waiting for heart transplants can be found on the NHS Blood and Transplant website at:https://www.organdonation.nhs.uk/supporting-my-decision/statistics-about-organ-donation/Waiting list figures can fluctuate daily as patients are removed or added to the transplant list as their condition improves or deteriorates.

Health Services: Haringey

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the potential effect of implementation of the North Central London Sustainability and Transformation Plan on Haringey Clinical Commissioning Group's budget deficit.

David Mowat: The process for Sustainability and Transformation Plans are developed by local areas to meet the needs of their population. It is for individual areas to assess the impact on clinical commissioning groups’ budgetary positions.

NHS: Expenditure

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the proportion of UK healthcare expenditure which is spent on long-term care; and if he will make an assessment of the implications of that proportion for the emergency healthcare services.

David Mowat: No specific estimate has been made of the proportion of United Kingdom healthcare expenditure which is spent on long-term care and no assessment can be made of the implications of that proportion for the emergency healthcare services. ‘Long term care’ could describe a variety of services, care types and settings, and also cover many different patient groups and no estimates are available regarding spend for such a broad and ranging definition. Furthermore, health is a devolved matter, and issues of long term care spend and associated pressures and implications on emergency healthcare services in the devolved administrations should be addressed accordingly. NHS England’s Urgent and Emergency Care Review proposes a fundamental shift in the way urgent and emergency care services are provided, delivering more care closer to home where clinically appropriate. The review recommends new care models such as community-based services in Urgent Care Centres and more easily-accessible information will be provided so that patients can self-care. The National Health Service is also developing Sustainability and Transformation Plans through which different parts of the NHS and social care system are working together to provide more co-ordinated services to patients.

NHS Low Income Scheme

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 17 October 2016 to Question 46907, how the HC3 scheme is (a) advertised and (b) communicated to patients; and whether there has been any change in how that scheme is advertised or communicated to patients since 2008.

David Mowat: HC3 certificates are provided through the means-tested NHS Low Income Scheme, which provides Help with Health Costs. Applicants to the scheme can be issued either: - HC2 certificates. These qualify people for full help with their health costs. - HC3 certificates. These qualify people for partial help with their health costs, and the certificate shows how much these people have to pay. Information on Help with Health Costs in England is made available and communicated to the public and professionals through a number of materials and routes. These include: - The HC10 poster. This is available to any National Health Service patient service, but targeted at general practitioner (GP) surgeries, dental practices, opticians and pharmacies to explain briefly what help is available to patients. - The HC11 leaflet. This is a comprehensive guide, available online (prior to 2012 this was available in print), of what help is available to patients of a particular age, with a particular medical condition, or who are on a low income or claiming benefits. This is temporarily unavailable as changes need to be made. - The HC12 leaflet. This is a ‘quick guide’ to help with health costs and contains some of the same information as the HC11. - The ‘Claiming free prescriptions?’ booklet and poster. The leaflet is available at the point of dispensing and explains which patients are eligible for free prescriptions, what evidence they need to show to be able to claim and where they can go to get help with their health costs. A supply of booklets and posters was sent to English pharmacies and GP practices in 2014, and refreshed booklets were issued in 2016. - The ‘Claiming free treatment?’ factsheets and posters for dental services, which were distributed to NHS dental practices in England and Wales in 2014. Refreshed versions were published on the NHS Business Services Authority website in 2016. These explain which patients are eligible for free NHS dental treatment, what evidence they need to show to be able to claim and where they can go to get help with their health costs. - NHS dental services in England leaflet. This is available from any NHS dental practice and provides information on free NHS dental treatment or help with health costs. - HwHC forms and posters are also made available to universities and Citizens Advice Bureaus on request. - Jobcentre Plus and HM Revenue & Customs include information about NHS Help with Health Costs in their literature and have forms available within their offices sourced through the NHS Print contract. - Information on help with health costs is also available on the NHS Choices website and the NHS Business Services Authority website (and its Ask Us knowledge base). - Arrangements to distribute some of the posters and leaflets listed above to GP practices, pharmacies, dental surgeries and opticians. Since 2008, there have been several changes to the publicity arrangements. The principal change has been in relation to the Waiting Room Information Service, which supported distribution of the HC12 leaflets to those GP practices and pharmacies that signed up to the service, of which there were around 6,000 and 1,000 respectively. This contract ended this year and new long-term arrangements are being developed. In the interim we will have a mail-out to 21,000 pharmacies and doctors on a quarterly basis. Since September 2015, the Pension Service literature, which had included information on Help with Health Costs, was withdrawn and moved to GOV.UK, and customers are now signposted to the NHS Choices website for information on the Help with Health Costs services.

Clinical Commissioning Groups: Finance

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of the total budget for clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) was allocated to each CCG in 2016-17.

Mr Philip Dunne: Responsibility for clinical commissioning group (CCG) allocations rests with NHS England. The total budget available for CCGs in 2016-17 is over £70 billion and a full table setting out allocations to each CCG for 2016-17 can be found here: https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/ccg-allocations.pdf The proportion of the total allocated to each CCG can be derived as each CCG’s allocation (column 7 in the table) divided by the national total of £70.541 billion. NHS England has also published a technical guide to allocations which sets out all the individual factors used in determining the allocation levels. The guide is available here: https://www.england.nhs.uk/2016/04/allocations-tech-guide-16-17/#

NHS: Drugs

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department has a policy on whether the Government has a duty to ensure the right to access medicines as part of its obligations under the UN Universal Declaration on Human Rights.

Nicola Blackwood: National Health Service commissioners are legally required to fund treatments recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) through its technology appraisal and highly specialised technologies programmes. This is reflected in the NHS Constitution as a right to drugs and treatments that have been recommended by NICE.

Ophthalmology

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps are being taken to ensure that people with long-term eye conditions are seen within timeframes which prevent avoidable sight-loss.

David Mowat: Clinical commissioning groups are responsible for commissioning ophthalmic services in hospitals for their local populations. Patients have the right to start consultant led treatment within 18 weeks of referral for non-urgent conditions, or alternatively have the right to ask for an alternative provider who can see them sooner. All patients should be treated without unnecessary delay and according to their clinical priority. All follow-up appointments should take place when clinically appropriate. It is for doctors to make decisions on when they see patients, in line with their clinical priority, and patients should not experience undue delay at any stage of their referral, diagnosis or treatment. The appropriate interval for follow up appointments will vary between different services or specialties, and between individual patients, depending on the severity of their condition. To ensure that patients are seen at the appropriate time, NHS England has issued guidance which makes clear that when patients on planned lists are clinically ready for their care to commence and reach the date for their planned appointment, they should either receive that appointment or be transferred to an active waiting list.

Women and Equalities

British Overseas Territories: Marriage

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that same-sex marriages are recognised in all British Overseas Territories; and what recent (a) meetings and (b) correspondence she has had on that issue.

Caroline Dinenage: The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 enabled overseas same sex marriages to be recognised as marriages in England and Wales since 13 March 2014. Non-marital overseas relationships, such as civil unions, are also recognised as civil partnerships in England and Wales under the Civil Partnership Act 2004. As responsibility for legislating on marriage law is a devolved competency for British Overseas Territories, the UK Government cannot ensure that same-sex marriages are recognised in all Territories. However, following the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013, the UK Government wrote to all British Overseas Territory Governments to advise them of the change in UK law; to encourage them to introduce similar provisions in their territories; and to ascertain if they had any immediate plans to legislate in this area. We received a mixed response. The majority of Territories explained that they had no immediate plans to follow the UK approach but others did identify that they would consider introducing legislation. Since that correspondence, the Pitcairn Islands have legislated to introduce same sex marriage and we understand others will follow. More widely, the UK Government continues to raise LGBT equalities with the Overseas Territories. Earlier this month, Baroness Anelay addressed LGBT issues when she spoke to the Cayman Islands Legislative Assembly. The Solicitor General will also co-chair a session in November with the Rt. Hon Baroness Anelay, Minister for the Overseas Territories, on human rights at the Joint Ministerial Council. The UK Government will continue to work with the British Overseas Territories on LGB&T equality and wider human rights issues. We stand ready to offer support to any Territory wishing to follow the UK’s approach.